


The Stranger

by kazenezumi123, Whatsinthebasement



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Dark Past, M/M, Memory Loss, Mystery, NaruSasu - Freeform, Shady Shenanigans, Side of Smut, alternate au, bottom! Sasuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:34:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 38,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26078035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazenezumi123/pseuds/kazenezumi123, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whatsinthebasement/pseuds/Whatsinthebasement
Summary: Naruto knew he could be a dumbass sometimes. And yeah, he had a habit of helping people no matter what the circumstances were and whether he knew them or not...but what could possibly go wrong when he decides to pick up a naked guy on the side of the road?
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 35
Kudos: 110
Collections: Extraordinary SNS Fics💕





	1. Fateful Encounter

In times like these, there must have been a certain point where everything went wrong.

A wrong turn on the way home, or maybe a yes when he should’ve said no. Something had led up to this. Or maybe, it was fate.

But Naruto didn’t believe in fate. He believed in sheer will and effort, nothing more and nothing less. 

Unfortunately, Naruto didn’t want to admit that sheer will had him in a headlock, pinned against a naked man on the side of the road.

It had all happened so quickly, he wasn’t even sure how it happened. He took the regular way, through the main road that passed through the forest and led into the city, yet something had caught his eye. He shouldn’t have pulled over. He shouldn’t have asked the guy if he was okay, but it wasn’t like him to ignore someone in need. Not to mention when the guy turned around and proved to be fucking gorgeous…

“Dammit.” Naruto grit out as the guy’s grip tightened, squeezing his throat between his elbow and forearm as they backed into the trees. There wasn’t much he could do, unless he threw the guy over his shoulder…but they were nearly the same size and that wouldn’t be easy. “What is your deal? I’m just trying to help you!”

He didn’t get a response.

Naruto tried to relax; he knew panicking would put him in a worse situation, and maybe he could get the guy to see reason.

“Look…it’s cold and you’re…not in the best situation. I’m not trying to use you or pick you up for anything. If you need clothes or a meal or whatever…I can help you out okay?” Naruto gave the guy’s bare arm a light pat. “Please, can you let go?”

After an excruciating amount of time, the man loosened his grip before letting go. Naruto stumbled away, clutching his chest as he tried to draw in a few deep, needed breaths.

“Thanks.” Naruto wheezed.

His attacker wasn’t much of a talker. He glared at Naruto like a predator marking its prey, his eyes dark and focused on every movement he made. He didn’t seem fazed by being naked at all, despite the January weather, and Naruto feared he was on the verge of hypothermia.

Slowly, so he wouldn’t be attacked again, Naruto shrugged out of his parka and held it out.

“Here, at least take this.” 

Hesitantly, the jacket was taken.

Naruto scratched his head and frowned. “So uh…you got a name?”

Silence.

Naruto sighed. “Right. So, you can come with me as long as you don’t attack me while I drive. Deal?”

“Come where?”

Naruto’s head snapped up when he finally spoke up. “Name?”

The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes, zipping up the jacket as he debated whether to speak again. 

“Sasuke.”

Naruto took in the sound of his voice, despite half of it being carried away in the night breeze, and wondered what the hell he was getting himself into. He knew he was nice, but weren’t there things like being too nice? He had helped stragglers and hitch-hikers in the past, and nothing had happened…but that was always a gamble. Maybe this was a mistake.

Even so, Naruto couldn’t just leave someone out in the snow like this. Despite the tough look in Sasuke’s eyes, he was cold. He was human, like everyone else. Hell, even Naruto was starting to shiver through his sweater now that he’d given up his coat, he couldn’t imagine being naked.

“Coming to my place. I can give you some clothes, you don’t have to stay if you aren’t comfortable.” Naruto rocked back on his heels and started back tracking towards his parked car. “But I am kinda hungry and I was thinking about ordering pizza…”

Naruto wondered if his half-assed tempt would work.

He barely caught the interested glint in Sasuke’s eyes at the word “pizza” before it was shut out and replaced by the vacant look Naruto recognized. He knew the guy was playing hard-to-get; there was no way someone would turn down free pizza in this kind of situation.

Naruto paused at the passenger door before opening it and raising an eyebrow.

“I’m not going to offer again. It’s a long walk into the city from here.” Naruto wanted to add, and a pretty boy like you won’t last very long out here.

Sasuke let out a sigh that seemed to physically pain him, and approached Naruto, giving him one last wary look-over before sliding into the passenger seat.

Driving back towards his apartment, Naruto felt victorious. He had somehow coaxed a cornered animal into his car, and possibly escaped death.

While they sat paused at a red light, Naruto fidgeted with the heating and cast Sasuke a curious glance. Pale skin, physically fit, and flushed from the cold…his features stood out, and lucky for Sasuke all of those features seemed extremely positive. The guy was good-looking, that was for sure, but what was his personality like?

“What’s a guy like you doing naked on the side of the road?” Naruto couldn’t help but ask. “It’s cold as fuck out here and you look like you’d have some common sense.”

Naruto wasn’t expecting an answer, but he got one.

“I don’t remember.”

“Hah?” Naruto missed a beat leaving for the green light, earning an angry honk behind him. “What do you mean you don’t remember? You just woke up in the snow naked and confused?”

“Sounds right.”

Naruto shook his head. “Unbelievable. You should call the police, that’s like…some strong roofies or something they gave you!”

“I don’t want to get the police involved.”

Oh God what did I get myself into?

He’d taken in a criminal. There was no other word for it. He was about to bring a possible serial killer into his house. How else would he have locked Naruto into that choke hold like he was a defenseless child? Especially when Naruto had been taking martial arts since he was a kid.

He risked another glance once he turned onto his street.

Despite being so stiff and prickly earlier, the guy seemed to have relaxed a little once he warmed up. Naruto was glad he had found him, who knew how long he’d have been out there wandering through the trees like a pale ghost.

Naruto pulled into the parking lot for his building, cutting the engine and snatching his keys before Sasuke would try any more funny business. Not like he expected him to carjack, but Naruto couldn’t be more cautious. 

“Shall we?” Naruto stepped out of the car, shutting the door behind him, and took a few steps towards the courtyard area. When he didn’t hear the passenger door open he slowly turned in confusion. 

“Oi.” Naruto pulled open the opposite door and gave Sasuke a light pat, but the guy seemed to have fallen asleep. In such a short amount of time; yet then again who knew how exhausted he probably was…

“Geez…” Naruto straightened up and glanced around the parking lot. How suspicious would he look if he dragged a mostly naked guy out of his car at eleven at night? Pretty fucking suspicious. “Come on Sasuke, wake up…”

Naruto froze when he noticed the scarlet running down Sasuke’s pale leg.

In horror, he unzipped his coat on Sasuke’s body, revealing an ugly gash he hadn’t noticed earlier along Sasuke’s side. It was deep, and it was bad. Sasuke’s breath came out ragged and shallow, and Naruto was just noticing the sheen across his forehead despite the weather.

Without a second thought, Naruto scooped Sasuke into his arms and shut the car door. First, he would stop the bleeding, then he would take him to the hospital.

Now, juggling a grown man in his arms and unlocking the door proved to be difficult, but Naruto wasn’t a quitter. He shuffled them into the entryway and up the stairs to the second floor, only to struggle again with the last door. Sasuke owed him big time.

“Don’t you die on me.” Naruto muttered as he carried Sasuke to his couch, stripping off the coat as he laid him down. He figured Sasuke probably wouldn’t care so much being exposed, considering the situation, and Naruto didn’t have time to feel weird about it.

He only focused on cleaning the wound, covering it up, and making sure Sasuke was warm.

As he was about to head into his room to find some clothes, a hand weakly gripped his pants.

“I’m just getting you some clothes so we can go to the hospital.” Naruto explained, but Sasuke’s grip tightened.

“No. No hospitals.” Naruto had to lean in to hear his voice.

“What do you mean no hospitals Sasuke? That cut is going to need stitches or else you’ll bleed out!”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine!” What was Sasuke’s deal? No cops. No hospitals. He was definitely a criminal. “Sasuke, how did you get that knife wound?”

Sasuke dropped his hand, drawing in a shaky breath. “I…”

“Let me guess, you don’t remember.” Naruto deadpanned.

Sasuke shook his head.

“But you can remember that you don’t like hospitals or cops.”

“…za…” Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto could feel his patience wearing thin. “What?”

“Pizza…you said you were ordering?” Sasuke seemed to be sleep talking, but he kept an unwavering gaze on Naruto’s.

Unbelievable.

The guy had been stabbed and fucking bleeding to death in the woods and all he cared about was some pizza? Not only that, but it wasn’t even going to be good pizza. The place Naruto frequented used too much grease and not enough cheese, hardly a dying man’s wish.

“You…still want pizza?” Naruto asked incredulously, but he reached for his cell phone.

“…yeah.”

With a sigh, Naruto dropped onto the couch at Sasuke’s feet and dialed the number he knew by heart. “You like pepperoni?”

“Sure.”

Naruto found himself grinning as he listened to the dial tone. What were the odds he’d end up in a position like this? 

The other line picked up, and Naruto could feel his life starting to shift in a way he’d never imagined.

“Hey Kiba? Get me the regular, but double it.”

* * *

“Wait slow down. There’s a beautiful naked guy upstairs who you picked up, off the street, and is currently staying with you?” Naruto’s friend Kiba raised a dark eyebrow at him as he handed over the two large pizzas. “And on top of that, the guy was stabbed?”

“Even I still don’t understand.” Naruto fished in his pocket for Kiba’s tip. The two had been whispering to each other in the lobby area of Naruto’s apartment, and Naruto didn’t want to keep the delivery guy any longer than he already had. Kiba still had a few hours left on his shift and the guy already had a bad habit of coming to Naruto’s to crash instead of running deliveries on the night shift.

“You have to keep me updated on this Naruto. If you end up dead, you’re a fucking idiot.”

“I’m glad you care Kibs.”

“Yeah yeah. Enjoy your heart attack.” With that, Kiba turned on his heels and left the apartment building to return to the old station wagon his work supplied.

Naruto watched him go before directing his gaze to the car pulling up on the street, nearly hitting the curb as it screeched to a halt. A familiar pink-haired girl jumped out of the driver’s seat with a duffel bag in hand, and she and Kiba exchanged a few brief words outside before she jogged up to the front door.

Naruto had to admit Sakura was always perfect at timing.

He had called her right after ordering pizza, asking her to stop by after her shift at the hospital. Normally, she wouldn’t complain about coming over to help considering Naruto managed to hurt himself more often than he cared to admit, but he did speed up her determination to come over by mentioning that her patient would be a pretty boy instead of him. 

“Where is he?” she huffed as she threw open the heavy door. “And really? He’s injured and you ordered pizza?”

“Hey this was by request of said injured person.”

Sakura blinked back at him. “He didn’t want to go to the hospital?”

“Nope. You can see how stubborn he is yourself.” Naruto turned to lead her up the stairs and back into his apartment. Sasuke hadn’t moved from his spot, as Naruto expected, and he heard Sakura gasp.

She darted to Sasuke’s side in a split second and Sasuke threw Naruto a murderous glare.

“Relax, she’s just going to patch you up. She’s a doctor, it’s nothing shady like you’re probably used to.” Naruto knew the jab was a little uncalled for, but it was plain as day that Sasuke had some deep and dark secrets he kept to himself. Which was good. Naruto didn’t want to be involved. It was hard enough getting sleep, going to work, and being an adult; he didn’t want to add ‘housing a wanted fugitive with a murder history’ to his to-do list.

He set the boxes of pizza on the coffee table within arm’s-reach of Sasuke and opened it up to reveal the cheesy goodness inside.

Sakura looked between the two of them before giving Sasuke her full attention.

“Hi, my name is Sakura and I’m a friend of Naruto’s. What’s your name?”

Sasuke looked like he didn’t want to answer. He glared back at her while reaching for a slice of pizza. 

“Sasuke.”

“Okay Sasuke, can you tell me how you got this?” Sakura had peeled back the bandaging Naruto had done and examined the wound with a contemplative expression. 

“Nope. Don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember being stabbed?”

Naruto chuckled at Sakura’s expression.

Sasuke took a bite of his pizza and shook his head once. “Nn.”

With a sigh, Sakura rustled through her things, gathering the tools she’d use. “Well you’re going to need stitches. I’d say at least twenty. Once you get them you need to stay still and make sure the wound is clean at all times so there isn’t an infection. Naruto are you listening? You’re going to have to watch him and clean it for him.”

“Eh?” Naruto paused mid-way through his third piece. “I have to do it?”

“Yes.”

Naruto dragged his eyes back to Sasuke, who met his gaze with an identical, if not more intense, look of disgust on his face.

“I’ll manage.” Sasuke huffed back.

“My ass.” Sakura snapped, pinching Sasuke’s skin together so she could close the wound. The guy didn’t seem fazed by the pain, but watching made Naruto flinch and retreat a few steps. He never liked getting stiches and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he lost his appetite.

“Oi Sakura go easy on the guy okay? I’m sure his day hasn’t been that great…”

He trailed off when Sakura threw him a murderous gaze. With a “humph” she went to work to close Sasuke’s wound. During the operation, Naruto wandered his small apartment as he nibbled on his pizza. He was lucky it was a Friday night, otherwise there was no way he could host someone injured on his couch for longer than a day. Even so, he had things to do. Why the fuck did he decide to put himself through this misery? He watched the cars speed along the interstate, which he could just barely see from his kitchen window, and wondered what kind of life he would’ve had if he had left the city back when he wanted to.

“Done.” Naruto jumped at the sound of Sakura’s voice directly behind him. He whipped around to face her, and gave her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry to call you out here again.”

Sakura shook her head. “You know I’d do anything for you. I stitched it up and put ointment on it, the rest of it is on the table along with a few spare bandages. Just use soap and water like you’ve done before and he should be good by Monday.”

“I doubt he’ll stay that long. He’s kind of…jumpy? He might run away.” Naruto crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen sink. “Do you think I was stupid for bringing him in?”

With a quick glance over her shoulder, Sakura leaned in and lowered her voice.

“I don’t think you were stupid. You saved a life. And as much as an attractive asshole as Sasuke seems to be, I think he can appreciate that much. You just need to make him feel comfortable enough to stay, but if he leaves he isn’t your responsibility. If anything else pops up, just give me a call okay? I’ll run right over.”

Naruto pulled her into a hug. “Thanks Sakura, you’re the best.”

“Damn right I am.” She returned it with a tight squeeze that made Naruto’s ribs protest. “Be careful okay?”

“Yeah.”

Naruto showed her out, locking the door behind her. As much as he dreaded it, now it was just him and Sasuke.

He slowly approached the couch and peered at Sasuke’s new bandage.

“She didn’t treat you too rough, did she?”

“No.” Sasuke dropped the leftover crust of one of his slices back into the box. “She tried.”

Naruto’s mind derailed onto another, unrelated path. “You don’t like crust?”

Sasuke caught his side-eye. “So what?”

“Natural selection is coming for you man.” Naruto dropped to the floor and started shoving the leftover pieces into his mouth. “I mean, clearly it already has.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, his hand picking absentmindedly at the tape.

“Are you really feeling alright? I can get you some Tylenol or something.”

Sasuke shook his head. “Just need sleep.”

Naruto nodded in understanding, wiping the crumbs from his mouth.

“Uh…look, I just want you to know that you can stay as long as you need. I don’t want to wake up and you ran off somewhere, since your stitches have to heal and everything…I’m just saying it would be a waste if you opened your stitches right after getting them…”

Sasuke cracked open an eye and smirked at him.

“Why does it sound like you want me to stay?”

Naruto was at a loss for words. The guy could smile?

“Shut up…I don’t get company very often.”

“It seems you have plenty of friends.”

“Two is not plenty Sasuke.”

Sasuke closed his eyes again and sighed. 

“It is when you don’t have any.”

Naruto dropped his gaze and stared at his hands. As sad as Sasuke’s statement was, Naruto knew it was true, and he knew it too well. It had taken him a long time to open up to others and make connections, and sometimes just one other person could change everything.

Sasuke looked as though he had followed a similar path. He seemed to understand what human suffering was, and despite the fact that Naruto knew nothing about him…he wanted to connect.

Slowly climbing to his feet, Naruto closed the empty pizza boxes and moved to turn off the light.

“Just promise you won’t leave without telling me? And if you need any more blankets, just yell or break something and I’ll probably wake up.”  
“Probably.” Sasuke snorted, but didn’t add any complaints or requests. Nor did he promise anything.

Naruto hesitated before he turned off the light. He could imagine Sasuke just disappearing into the darkness, as if he never existed. Like Sakura had said, if he left it wasn’t his responsibility anymore, right?

As Naruto walked to his room, it was starting to feel like it would be. If Sasuke left, he knew he’d go looking for him. Even when he knew this was outside of his control. That this guy had nothing to do with him. Even so…

Naruto crawled under his sheets and mumbled a string of swears until he managed to fall asleep.

* * *

He woke up to the sun burning through his eyelids; a sore reminder of the curtains he had forgotten to close last night. His alarm clock told him he was up a little early for a Saturday, yet somehow he felt fully rested and too anxious to go back to bed. So instead of trying to, Naruto rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

Last night didn’t even feel real.

Maybe it was all a dark and complicated dream he had, a subconscious message that told him he should find a roommate to be less lonely. Or a hobby. 

There was just no way last night was real. That was the stuff seen in movies, or the beginning of a catchy book series, not Naruto’s life. His life was simple. Somewhat tragic perhaps, but he was still kicking and moving forward. Complicated didn’t match his lifestyle.

With a drawn-out sigh, Naruto sat up to shed his T-shirt and tossed it onto the floor, joining the pile of dirty laundry gathering by his bed. He slowly approached his door and pulled it open, somewhat dreading what he would see. Did he want Sasuke gone? Or did he want him to stay?

He didn’t know. 

The apartment was still fairly dark in the hallway, but the living room was starting to let in a little of the morning light. As he got closer, he could hear the faint sound of voices.

“Ah.” Naruto peered around the corner to see Sasuke, still situated on his couch and the TV remote in hand as he flipped through different channels.

“Finally awake?” Sasuke tilted his head back to meet Naruto’s gaze.

“Finally? It’s eight o’clock…”

“You look like you sleep in.”

Naruto took another hesitant step forward, and he felt himself break into a smile.

“So you stayed.”

Sasuke seemed to contemplate his response as he tapped the remote against his forearm.

“Didn’t want to tear the stitches…and there’s food here, so…”

It felt like half of Sasuke’s claim was the truth, but Naruto didn’t question it. He felt strangely elated that he still had company, even if said company was a little too suspicious.

“Well I’m glad.”

Sasuke quickly looked away, as if Naruto’s smile were too bright for him to look at directly. With a newfound kick of energy to his system, Naruto dropped onto the couch at Sasuke’s feet. They settled on one of the morning cartoons since nothing else was on, and somehow Naruto managed to pull Sasuke into a conversation. When it came to the things Sasuke actually remembered, it was trivial things like his name, his birthday and age, what color he preferred…but when asked his specific preferences for hobbies or food, he had no idea.

“I don’t think that’s because I can’t remember it, but because I never had one.” Sasuke tapped the side of his head and frowned. “It feels like the harder I think, the harder it is to remember. Otherwise I feel like I know everything.”

“What kind of amnesia…” Naruto dropped his head and sighed. “Does your head hurt? Like maybe you suffered brain damage and they knocked the memory out of you?”

Sasuke shook his head. “No, aside from my memory there’s nothing wrong with my head.”

“Damn.” Naruto’s eyes wandered back to the TV screen. “So basically…you have to start from scratch and hope something triggers your memory.”

The entire situation sounded like a massive pain in the ass. Trying to get by in this day and age was hard enough, but to not even know where you came from? Sasuke seemed to be the type to take things in stride; he didn’t appear to be panicking, as Naruto would have been, nor did he particularly concerned about his situation. 

Despite being stabbed. Naruto chewed on his lower lip. 

In the end, Naruto really didn’t know anything about Sasuke, and unfortunately Sasuke didn’t know anything about himself either. Would this make it easier or harder to connect to him?

Wait. That shouldn’t even matter. He wasn’t expecting to establish a relationship with a guy who clearly had more issues than anyone could ever ask for. And Sasuke didn't look like the type to hang around. Naruto decided he’d do what he needed to get the guy on his feet and leave it at that. If they ended up friends, so be it, but Naruto wasn’t expecting anything. He figured that would be safest for him anyway.

“Well when your stitches heal, I can give you a tour of the town and tell you what you need to know. Having a car is pretty convenient around here since you can’t walk everywhere.” Naruto stood up, stretching out until his joints popped, and widened his eyes when his stomach growled loud enough for Sasuke to hear. “Haha…you hungry?”

Sasuke blinked back at him in what looked like amusement.

“I can always eat.”

* * *

  
Naruto waited until Wednesday before he gave Sasuke the clear to move around. All throughout Sasuke’s stay, he found himself hovering around the guy to make sure he didn’t do anything to tear his stitches or hurt himself. He knew he was being annoying. It was just a habit he couldn’t shake, and as he expected, Sasuke was furious.

“Are you my fucking mother?” Sasuke growled when Naruto denied his request to go out again. “Or am I turning into your hostage?”

“Look, I told you. Once your stitches heal you can do whatever you want! You’re the one that doesn’t want to go to the hospital!” Naruto shrugged into his coat and flashed Sasuke a wide smile. “I get home around six and you can eat anything you find in the kitchen. Wednesday we’re going out.”

“Wednesday?” Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but he didn’t offer any other input aside from an annoyed huff. “Fine.”

Since that conversation on Sunday, Naruto had hell trying to placate the monster he had brought into his home. The fucking attitude, the mood swings, the entitled personality, and not to mention…

Sasuke was high maintenance.

Naruto knew he was doing it deliberately to piss him off, but Naruto wouldn’t budge from his decision to keep Sasuke indoors. If they were going to coexist in the meantime, there had to be some kind of understanding.  
Sasuke never wanted to go to sleep. He only liked a certain shampoo and conditioner, which happened to be one that Naruto didn’t own. He hated cup ramen, and boy did Naruto fight him on that one.

“Why is your memory conveniently working now?” Naruto questioned after another chewing out by Sasuke. This time it was something completely out of his control: Sasuke’s stitches itched and Naruto happened to be the closest thing for him to direct his irritation at. Figures.

Sasuke only glared back at him. It made Naruto wish Wednesday would come faster so he could hopefully, just maybe, manage to get this guy out of his place before he murdered him.

Once Wednesday finally came, Naruto and Sasuke left the apartment and went for a drive around town. Naruto gave an informal tour of the area, pointing out popular places and landmarks that should spark Sasuke’s memory if he were truly from Konoha. Even though the city wasn’t that big nor that impressive, it did have its charm points that made it a memorable place to live. As much as Naruto had imagined moving away, something about this town kept him rooted in place. 

In silence, Sasuke looked over every building and every street with a tight scowl set in place. Whether it was in deep concentration or general annoyance, Naruto couldn’t tell. Luckily, the evening traffic was finally dying down, allowing them to take the more popular streets toward the nightlife district on the west side of town.

The sun had long set, but the bright streetlamps overhead kept the city lit as though it were still daytime. After they toured the west side, Naruto planned on calling it a day considering he didn’t know what else he could physically do to help Sasuke get his memory back. How did someone even begin to handle that?

As much as Naruto wanted to help, he didn’t think he would really be able to.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke in curiosity. He kept his scowl directed out the window, but with the angle of his neck, there was something slightly visible near the back of his neck. Once he reached a red light, Naruto slightly leaned forward to get a better look.

A tattoo?

“I never noticed you had a tattoo there!” Naruto used his right hand to pull down the collar of Sasuke’s (actually his, but whatever) T-shirt to get a clear view of it. It looked like three black commas spun into a circle, a design that kind of reminded him of a wheel. It was no bigger than a bottle cap, but it was still pretty cool.

Without thinking, Naruto brushed over it with his index finger and something like static electricity shot through his body, making his hand retract as if he had touched something hot. Sasuke flinched back, his hand moving to probe at the mark.

“S-sorry, I shouldn’t have…” Naruto coughed, his focus switching back to the road as the light changed. “Does it…hurt?”

“….yeah.” Sasuke sounded just as confused as Naruto felt. Had he experienced the same jolt when Naruto touched him, or was it just his imagination? Either way, the tattoo would only hurt if he had gotten it recently.

“You don’t remember getting a tattoo?” Naruto asked.

“No.” Sasuke suddenly sat up straighter, his attention fully focused out the window. “Naruto pull over here.”

Naruto hesitantly obeyed, pulling into a free spot on the street. As soon as he could put the car in park, Sasuke jumped out of the car and looked around before heading off down the street.

“Oi Sasuke, wait!” Naruto cussed under his breath and locked the car. He didn’t even have time to check if he needed to pay the parking meter; he chased after Sasuke before he could leave his sight. “This isn’t a safe neighborhood; you can’t just go running around here!”

Sasuke ignored him, leading them around corners and down streets until finally, he slowed down. Naruto huffed as he came up to Sasuke’s side, a flare of annoyance starting to pick at him. The guy never explained what he was doing. He clearly didn’t know what the hell he was doing either. 

Naruto checked over his shoulder in paranoia as Sasuke scanned the tall apartment buildings around them. They were standing in the middle of a street that Naruto could easily imagine a dead body splayed out on, and Sasuke was acting like it was a tourist spot.

“Look, let’s just go back okay? We can come back again when it’s daylight…” Naruto trailed off when Sasuke confidently marched up to one of the apartment buildings and opened the door.

Naruto watched him go inside in disbelief. It only took him a few seconds to snap out of it and follow him inside.

“Sasuke!” Naruto hissed. “What the hell are you doing?”

The entryway reeked of cigarette smoke and mildew. A creaky looking elevator dominated the left wall while the tenants’ mailboxes lined the right. Either the lights were off or there was no electricity in the main lobby, leaving the building dark and cold.

“I recognize this place.” Sasuke pointed to a door straight ahead, which to Naruto’s slight relief, led to a staircase. He had half-expected Sasuke to make them ride the elevator.

Naruto gave it a wary once-over as he passed, pretty sure the thing had been broken for years anyway. 

Despite Naruto’s protests, Sasuke led them to the third floor, guided by some invisible compass that told him to stop at door three-hundred and five.

“Okay, so now what?” Naruto asked, exasperated. “So what if you recognize this place, what does that do—”

Without missing a beat, Sasuke bent down to flip over a dirty welcome mat at the foot of the door. He rose to his feet with a silver key in his hand and unlocked the door as if he’d done it a million times.

Naruto remained rooted in his spot and watched Sasuke walk into the apartment. Maybe it was fear that stopped his feet from moving. Maybe it was suspicion. 

Here they were, in this run-down apartment building on the wrong side of town, because Sasuke had a hunch? No. It was more than that. Sasuke was acting as though he knew exactly where he was and what he was doing.

Did Sasuke really lose his memory?

Naruto wanted to punch himself for failing to understand that Sasuke could easily be lying to him. No hospitals. No cops. No memory of anything specific about himself? It was too convenient, and having a place to stay while injured would be a score considering the cold weather.

It was highly likely that Sasuke was going to get him killed. Whether Sasuke was going to do the killing or not was irrelevant, but Naruto knew when his instincts told him to do something, he should do it.

Right now, they were telling him one thing, and one thing only.

Run.

He could turn heel and bolt out of here. Never look back. Sasuke could just become a bad dream that he’d get over in a week or so.

He wanted to go home and watch TV and act like everything was still normal and fine, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t just leave like he wanted to.

Slowly, Naruto stepped into the apartment. It was dead-quiet aside from the rustling that came from further in. Naruto didn’t dare to call out; he ran his eyes over the empty apartment, wondering how the hell someone could live here without a couch or even a table to put stuff on. On top of that, there was no stuff. A cardboard box in the corner with a lamp, yeah. Not a picture on the walls or anything else on the floor…

Naruto approached the rustling noise and listened to his own footsteps creak against the old floorboards. As he rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, he found Sasuke situated at the kitchen counter where he had dumped out the contents of a black backpack.

Without a word, Naruto moved closer to inspect the contents and flinched away once he realized what he was looking at.

“Sasuke…what the fuck is this?”

Sasuke picked up a stack of cash and held it up to examine it.

“Looks like about five thousand dollars…” without another word, he tossed it back into the backpack alongside a notebook, a cell phone, and a slip of paper.

Naruto was too focused on another object to notice.

“No…I’m talking about that. The fucking gun, Sasuke.”

Sure enough, the pistol stood out loud and proud on the counter as if it belonged there. When Sasuke reached for it, Naruto clamped a hand over his arm.

“Don’t touch it! You’ll get your fingerprints all over it!” 

Sasuke shook his head. “Relax, I’m just going to put it back in the bag.”

“Are you crazy? Just leave it where it is, we can’t be responsible for that!” Naruto looked Sasuke in the eyes, praying he could see the panic in them. “Let’s just leave it.”

“I can’t do that Naruto.” Sasuke’s gaze moved from the gun to his, and he almost looked sad when he added, “I think it’s mine. This apartment, everything…how else would I have remembered it so well?”

Naruto let go and took a few steps back, his hands reaching up to scrape through his hair in disbelief. He let out a long breath through his mouth. Then another. 

No way.

Nope. This wasn’t happening. As sketchy as his life had become in the past couple of days, Naruto still had hope that everything would turn out fine. That Sasuke wasn’t actually a criminal, but a lost kid with amnesia or a patient that escaped the mental hospital. Something normal. Anything normal.  
Naruto turned his back to Sasuke and paced the room, his hands still buried deep in his blonde hair. What was he supposed to do?

“Are you okay?” Sasuke asked tentatively. It was the first time Naruto had ever heard a hint of concern in his voice since they met.

“No. How could I be okay?” Naruto looked up to the ceiling and groaned. “I think I’m having a panic attack.”

He heard Sasuke zip up the backpack followed by footsteps coming up to him. A hand lightly touched his shoulder before Sasuke walked past him.

“Let’s go then.”

Naruto turned around to see that, as he expected, the gun was missing.

This time, he wasted no time in following Sasuke out of the apartment and back to his car.

* * *

  
In the days following their visit to the apartment, Sasuke became a lot more docile. 

He would usually be sitting on the floor, reading through the notebook he had taken back, searching desperately for something Naruto didn't want to know. He greeted him when he came home and said goodbye when he left. That was a first.

At work, Naruto tried to escape his reality by immersing himself in his day-to-day tasks, but in the end, it proved to be useless. His mind always strayed back to Sasuke. The guy was clearly mixed up in something bad, but he didn’t seem to be a bad person. Sasuke could be nice when he wanted to, and he was barely older than Naruto was. He wanted to believe that the shoe could have easily been on the other foot.

Naruto wanted to trust Sasuke.

As hard as that was, there were a shit ton of concerns he had towards everything as well. Where did that money come from? Where did the gun come from? What was Sasuke going to do with that gun? How much to the story did Sasuke actually know?

The list went on and on. The longer the day dragged on, the angrier Naruto got about it. He hated being lied to, especially when he was trying to go out on a limb and give Sasuke the benefit of doubt. He knew what it was like to be left on your own, and it was terrifying. It made it seem like the world was against you or didn’t care what happened to you.  
That didn’t mean he couldn’t sulk about it.

Naruto stopped at the store on his way home, proudly hauling his twenty-four pack of beer inside the apartment with him.

He dropped off his keys, set his beer on the counter, and shrugged out of his coat before seeing Sasuke in his usual spot, scribbling away in his notebook.

“Any breakthroughs today?” Naruto asked sarcastically as he hung up his coat. 

“I’m going to start going out tomorrow to work on it.” Sasuke replied. He closed his notebook and looked over to meet Naruto’s stare. 

Naruto blinked back at him. “What do you mean ‘work on it’? What are you going to do?”

“Walk around. Follow the clues in my notes. Doing something is better than just sitting here and worrying about it.”

“Look Sasuke, maybe you really don’t remember,” Naruto knew it was unnecessary, but the jab just slipped out as it usually did when his patience was wearing thin, “but the city is getting dangerous. It’s not safe at night. You can’t just go wandering around looking for something you don’t even know you’re looking for! Especially alone!”

“I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself. Or did you really start to get the impression that you were my mother and taking care of a literal child?” Sasuke directed those cold, onyx eyes on Naruto and for a moment, he thought Sasuke was actually joking. The bastard always had the same monotonous, cynical tone to his voice that ruined any chances at a sense of humor, and for the first time in a while, Naruto wanted to punch him in the face.

He’d hit him right in the jaw, or maybe fuck up that pretty face of his for a week or so.

Instead, Naruto took his case of beer and sat at the table to open it. He tried to control his anger as he tore open the cardboard, but Sasuke had already gotten deep, deep under his skin today.

“You have the survival instincts of a child, and you don’t think before you act. You can’t just go out and look for answers when you don’t know anything about yourself! Sasuke, that apartment was suspicious as fuck. And a gun? What if it’s registered under your name? What if you’re putting yourself in more danger by snooping around?!”

“All you say is ‘what if, what if’…so fucking what?” Sasuke stood up, tossing his notebook onto the coffee table in annoyance. This had to be the first time Naruto had seen him so angry. “My priority is recovering my memory and finding out who the hell I am! This is the closest I’ve ever been and you’re telling me it’s too dangerous? You don’t have to help me, but you sure as hell can’t stop me.”

“Fine, then I won’t.” Naruto opened his beer bottle with more force than necessary and averted his gaze. “Do whatever the fuck you want, since you’re going to do it anyway. But I won’t be scooping you off the street a second time.”

Naruto knew he was being childish and stubborn, but he was sick of being pissed off by this guy. He was pissed off at Sasuke’s attitude, his situation, and Naruto was even more pissed at himself for getting involved. He had done some really stupid things in his lifetime, and he meant stupid…but this entire ordeal took the cake. Naïve would be an understatement, hell it was absolutely idiotic that he allowed himself to get in this deep.

Sasuke was going to get himself killed if he kept sticking his nose around in the city. It wasn’t a safe place to live anymore, and considering how shady Sasuke’s circumstances were from the fucking beginning, the guy wasn’t going to find anything good. Missing memory? A bag full of cash, a gun, and an untraceable cell phone? Fuck that. That was drug rings, or mafia, or some other shady shit Naruto had no business in. His parents may be dead, but they’d kick his ass in the afterlife if they found out how their idiotic son chose to die.

Sasuke stormed out the apartment without another word, and Naruto was grateful. He quickly finished off his first beer and immediately opened the next one. Sasuke was going to give him a stroke. He already heightened his drinking problem.

Out of spite for both Sasuke and himself, Naruto chugged the second beer and opened his third. Then his fourth. He wanted to call Kiba and bitch about what happened, but all he’d probably get was an ‘I told you so’ or ‘tough shit, I’ll bring by a pizza and we could smoke our woes away’. Weed was Kiba’s solution for everything, but Naruto didn’t function that way. He also preferred to keep the smell out of his apartment since his neighbors were snitches.

“Fucking bastard.” Naruto growled as he stared down at his phone. There was no one he could call. To be fair, there wasn’t anyone he really wanted to talk to. Talking to someone meant he’d get feedback when all he wanted was to vent. Normally, he’d go jogging and try to burn off all his pent-up energy, but the area was getting dangerous at night and he didn’t want to risk running into Sasuke either. 

This sucked.

It fucking sucked.

Naruto opened his fifth and sighed, pushing the bottle away without taking a sip. The buzz was getting stronger, leaving a tingling sensation in his veins that reminded him to slow down. He wondered why Sasuke bothered him so much. Maybe he was thrown off by his personality; the guy acted so calm and smooth like his entire existence wasn’t in question. He had no issues keeping Naruto in check and calling him out despite his dependent situation. They butted heads over what to eat for dinner, who showered first…the stupidest shit Naruto could imagine. 

And he didn’t hate it.

Naruto dropped his head, buried his hands in his hair, and let out an irritated groan.

Fuck, he liked Sasuke’s company. At first, he thought it was just him getting used to the guy being around, but it was more than that. He liked waking up in the morning and seeing Sasuke making coffee at his counter like it was natural. He liked the feeling of sharing his space and booze and clothes with somebody who could make him laugh or seethe in a matter of seconds. He liked the second presence in the apartment, someone who could respond when Naruto needed more toilet paper or told him to shut up when he sang too loud in the shower.

Naruto dropped his head lower until it thunked against the wooden table.

He liked the way Sasuke looked at him, like he had never met someone as weird or amusing in his life. He liked the way Sasuke held himself together despite how fucked up his life had gotten. God, don’t even get him started on the way his sweatpants hugged the dip in Sasuke’s waist after he showered in the morning…

Naruto lifted his head in confusion. His brows furrowed deeper when he felt something stir in his pants. 

Yes, Sasuke was attractive. He walked around shirtless all the time, which didn’t even matter since Naruto had already seen him naked…more than once, oddly enough. It didn’t faze him that badly, but thinking about Sasuke naked now felt different. It felt…

Naruto reached for his beer again and drank until he felt his cheeks start to burn. He wanted to push these feelings down. Way, way, way down where they wouldn’t dare to climb back up again because Naruto did not need that shit right now. He would not pine for a stray mafia member or drug dealer. He would not do something as stupid as fall in love with Sasuke, no no no.

Naruto reminded himself that there was a difference between attraction and love. Unfortunately in his experiences, Naruto couldn’t seem to tell the two apart. It was too soon to tell. There was no way this was love. This was something else.

“Something that doesn’t exist.” Naruto muttered aloud, as if to convince himself. “It doesn’t fucking exist…”

He sat in silence for the next hour or two, listening to the clock tick on the wall. Eventually, each tick made his anxiety climb, and instead of reaching for the next beer in the case, Naruto reached for his wallet and keys. He was going to find Sasuke and bring him back before he got himself in trouble. Even if he went on foot, he could still catch Sasuke. They just needed to talk. Figure some things out. Naruto wanted to apologize.

He stumbled into his shoes and pushed his way out the apartment, barely remembering to lock the door behind him. He had to move fast, or else he wouldn’t have a chance.

* * *

  
Naruto turned his last corner and leaned against the brick wall of the building. He had looked everywhere; he had searched the city within an hour’s radius of him hoping he’d catch up to Sasuke. He tried the shadier areas, he looked at the abandoned apartment again, he even checked every grocery and convenience store he could find. He had run out of options and was preparing to give up and go home when a familiar figure caught his eye a few stores away.

He approached them quickly, out of fear that somehow he’d lose sight if he took too long, and soon got close enough to make out Sasuke’s features dimly lit by the convenience store sign overhead. He had his gaze cast downward, a thin trail of smoke drifting from the cigarette pinched between his pink lips. He glanced up as Naruto approached him and kept his face expressionless.

Naruto moved close and casually fell back against the wall beside Sasuke. “I didn’t know you smoked.” 

Sasuke exhaled a cloud of smoke and watched it rise into the night air.

“Neither did I. I just bought a pack on a whim.”

Naruto plucked the cigarette from Sasuke’s lips and stared at it pensively. The burning ash at the bottom hung loose, and the smell reminded him of his younger school days. A part of him considered taking a drag for old time’s sake, but just as quickly as the thought came Naruto dropped the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out.

“It’s a dangerous habit to pick up again, trust me.” Naruto muttered.

Sasuke stared at him with a bored expression.

“Those are expensive.”

“I know.”

“Why are you out here?”

“Looking for you, isn’t that obvious?”

Sasuke sighed, now sounding annoyed. 

“You’re drunk.”

Naruto tilted his head up and watched the stars instead of the occasional car that drove by. It was surprisingly nice out at this time of night, and Naruto could catch the glimpse of little flakes of snow dancing in the streetlights.

“Not really.”

The two stood in silence for a while, watching the snowflakes gather until they were visible without the help of the lights overhead. The news didn’t say anything about snow today. It was supposed to be spring soon, for fuck’s sake.

“I’m sorry about what I said. You should be looking for a way to get your memory back.” Naruto finally looked back at Sasuke and frowned. “I won’t get in your way with that anymore.”

“What you said wasn’t wrong.” Sasuke fiddled with the pack of cigarettes, but didn’t take one out. He simply stared at it as he turned it over and over in his hand. “Maybe I’m just not going about it the right way…”

Sasuke sounded troubled, which was surprising. Sasuke usually exuded an air of confidence that made Naruto think the guy didn’t have as many fucks to give as everyone else. This expression made him look a bit more…average.

“Can we go back home? The snow’s really starting to come down.” Naruto zipped up his jacket and gestured back the way he had come.

“You mean your apartment?” Sasuke clarified before following after him. “I guess so.”

Naruto swallowed his response and lowered his head as he led the way. Sasuke’s wording was blunt, but Naruto had no one but himself to blame for Sasuke feeling that way. Of course the apartment wasn’t home to Sasuke, how could it be when Naruto didn’t make him feel welcome in it sometimes? It was just a place to rest until he could start the next day. 

Sasuke joined Naruto’s side as they walked back towards the apartment. The sidewalk refused to hold the snow, and each flake disappeared as soon as it hit the concrete around them. It was a beautiful night, but Naruto wasn’t enjoying it at all; a heavy feeling between them just made everything feel lonely and fake.

* * *

Rules.

Naruto figured as long as they established some rules, they could at least stop fighting all the time.

Sasuke, surprisingly, accepted the rule that he wouldn’t go off without Naruto to look for clues.

“We’re in this together, okay? Let me help out.” Naruto told him, but it felt more like begging. He didn’t want Sasuke to disappear without a trace, and he certainly didn’t want him to get hurt again.

So, they established their own little system. While Naruto was at work, Sasuke researched. When Naruto came home, they went out searching. Day after day they came up empty-handed, but at least they were spending some quality time together.

Naruto formally apologized.

He didn’t know how to make things right, but he never stopped trying to bridge the gap between them. He was hoping that they could at least be friends. Friends helped each other out.

Sasuke started to smile more.

Okay, maybe it was more of a smirk, but the guy seemed to be more amused by Naruto’s mishaps and shenanigans than he was before.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re an idiot?” Sasuke dropped his chin into his palm as he sat at the kitchen table, watching Naruto try to juggle oranges. Again.

Naruto groaned and bent down to pick up the ones he dropped. He could feel his face burning, and he didn’t know why.

“Look, I swear I could do it yesterday, just give me a minute…”

Sasuke tilted his head back and laughed. Naruto watched him in awe, not daring to move in case he’d miss it.

“Unbelievable.” Sasuke sighed, and his eyes met Naruto’s. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Sasuke rolled his eyes. “What are you gaping at, dumbass?”

“Want to go out for dinner tonight?”

“Ah.” Sasuke tapped his cheek in pensive thought. “I guess it is Friday.”

“So is that a yes?” Naruto finally stood up, wincing as his joints popped back into place.

“You make it sound like it’s a date or something.”

Naruto smirked. “Maybe it is. We do live together.”

“Haha.” Sasuke made sure Naruto knew it was a fake laugh as he stood up. “I’ll get my jacket.”

“Finally, an article of clothing you actually own.” Naruto called after him. It was true; they went out over the weekend to buy Sasuke his own clothes with the suspicious amount of cash he now had. When he tried to pay Naruto’s rent, he got smacked on the back of his head. Naruto wasn’t doing this to be repaid. It didn’t feel right, and he didn’t want it. Sasuke helped around the house a lot too; Naruto couldn’t remember the last time he did laundry or the dishes…he also vacuumed and organized his stuff to make it look like they were functional adults.

“Fuck you, Naruto.” Sasuke’s voice drifted into the kitchen and Naruto smiled.

They decided to go to the sushi place downtown, which was a bit too far to walk but only a short drive to get to.

“I haven’t had sushi in ages.” Naruto said just as his stomach angrily growled at him. Sasuke shot him a humorous look before getting out of the car.

“You said conveyor belt…so am I going to get food poisoning here or?”

“Nah it’s like legit sushi Sasuke, you’re going to love it.” Naruto eagerly ushered him inside the restaurant, and luckily they got seats without having to wait.

As they settled in their seats, Sasuke examined the conveyor belt beside him and the plates of sushi as they passed by. Naruto wasted no time in snatching plates off the belt and lining them up in front of him.

“So you just grab it.” Sasuke made the mental note aloud and looked up at the monitor. “Is this where you make personalized orders?”

“Exactly.” Naruto mumbled around his mouthful of fish.

The hour passed as the two threw themselves into a sushi-eating competition. Naruto started off extremely confident in his abilities, but it turned out Sasuke was not only competitive but capable of putting down a heavy amount of food.

Naruto was just as stubborn, but once their plate count started reaching the thirties, he had to call it quits.

“If I eat another roll, I’m gonna puke.” Naruto set down his chopsticks and fell back in defeat. “Fine. You win.”  
Sasuke groaned in what sounded like relief.

“Good because if I had to eat this piece I would’ve puked.”

The two broke into laughter at that. It felt natural, just two friends going out to eat on a Friday night. The only thing unnatural about it was their stack of plates at the end of the table; Naruto was aware of the shocked gazes passing customers and waiters sent their way when they noticed them.

“I think we ate a good chunk of their fish supply.” Naruto chuckled as he started to dispense the plates back. “Maybe we’ll win a prize.”

“We fucking better. We have like sixty plates…”

Naruto looked up to see Sasuke slumped over the table. It looked like he was acting tough just to get the win, and now he was paying the price.

“If you’re gonna puke, just don’t do it on me.”

“That would be a waste of money.” Sasuke looked up from the table and smiled. “I won, so you can pay the bill.”

Naruto rolled his eyes. “Jerk.”

“I’ll pay next time.” Sasuke waved it away, letting his arm thunk across the table in exhaustion.

In that moment, Naruto wasn’t sure what came over him, but he reached across the table to brush Sasuke’s hair out of his eyes. As his fingers trailed through Sasuke’s hair, he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by how silky it was.

He didn’t realize he was petting Sasuke’s head in a trance until Sasuke spoke.

“I’m not a dog, you know.” Sasuke watched him with his head resting on his arm, a humorous expression in place. “Is the mercury going to your brain already?”

“S-sorry.” Naruto stammered and retracted his hand as quickly as he could. So fucking embarrassing. “I’m gonna go pay the bill.”

“Okay.” Sasuke murmured before closing his eyes again.

* * *

The next Friday, things went a little bit differently.

Naruto went to work as he always did, bidding Sasuke goodbye until he’d return at six o’clock. That didn’t give Sasuke too much time to do as he pleased.

He had finally gotten a lead. 

Sasuke flipped open his cell phone and double checked the message. Sure enough, the location was the old apartment complex. That would take him some time to get to, but it wouldn’t be terrible.

Sasuke grabbed his backpack and left Naruto’s apartment with determination. 

When they had entered the apartment last time, Sasuke had found a brief note on the counter addressed to him beside a black backpack. The letter simply had a phone number and a name, but the name felt so familiar that it drove him nuts.

_Itachi._

Sasuke had no idea who this person was, but they had to be someone who could help him recover his memory. Otherwise, he’d be stuck in a standstill with little left to go after.

Pain.

That’s what Sasuke first noticed about his memory loss. Every time something triggered his memory, a sharp little pain resonated in the back of his neck. The same spot Naruto had probed in the car. 

A tattoo, he’d said.

Sasuke hadn’t even known it was there; it was hard to see in the mirror, and it was small enough to go unnoticed. When Naruto had touched it, for a brief second it felt like his entire body had caught on fire.

It didn’t feel like a tattoo, but Sasuke didn’t know what it was.

Maybe this Itachi person could tell him what it was.

Any answer would be more than what he had right now.

Sasuke approached the old apartment complex and climbed the stairs, listening for any other suspicious noises. He wondered if he knew how to use the gun if he really needed to.

As soon as Sasuke opened the door to his apartment, a dark figure came into view. He stood in the center of the living room, as still as a statue, with his dark eyes trained on Sasuke as if he were a threat.

His long dark hair was pulled into an elegant ponytail, and Sasuke found himself at a loss for words. Although this man was older, Sasuke felt like he was looking in the mirror.

When he spoke, his words were smooth and melodic, and it made the pain in Sasuke’s neck erupt, forcing him to his knees and gasping for air.

“It’s good to see you little brother.” Itachi kneeled to Sasuke’s level and lifted his chin to look him in the eyes. “I think it’s time we get your memory back.”

* * *

When Naruto returned from work, he came home to a quiet house. 

Naruto set his things down and made his way around the apartment in confusion. He walked down the hall, peeked in his bedroom, and then the bathroom before returning to the living room to see that Sasuke was in fact here, Naruto had just completely missed him.

Sasuke was curled up on the couch, fast asleep. It was unusual since the guy never seemed to nap, let alone sleep through the night. And every time Naruto offered for Sasuke to sleep in his bed, he declined. The couch wasn’t that comfortable, and Naruto had a big bed, so he really didn’t mind.

He could at least use it while Naruto was at work.

“Hey, Sleepyhead.” Naruto ruffled Sasuke’s hair in an attempt to wake him up. Sasuke scooted away from him before swatting away his hand in annoyance.

“What?” Sasuke turned over to glare at him, but its intensity was lost as Naruto took in his bed hair.

“Your hair…” Naruto couldn’t help but laugh at the way Sasuke’s hair stuck up thanks to how he slept on the couch cushion. “You look like a chicken!”

Sasuke didn’t reply or laugh. He just watched Naruto from the couch in reserved silence. 

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?” Naruto’s hand flew to Sasuke’s forehead. He frowned when he didn’t find a temperature. “You never nap.”

“I was just tired.” 

Naruto couldn’t place it, but it almost sounded like Sasuke was feeling down about something. His usual presence seemed off, and it made Naruto feel a little uneasy. They hadn’t been able to find much about Sasuke’s case, and it must be frustrating to go for so long without knowing who you were or what to do. Sasuke took everything in stride and he didn’t complain about their lack of progress. Of course he would be feeling down about it. It was discouraging. It wasn’t even Naruto’s memory and it was starting to make him stress out.

“Hey, I got an idea.” Naruto squatted to look Sasuke in the eyes. “We’ve been working hard this week, so I think it would be good for us to just take a break and have some fun tonight.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Sasuke slowly sat up and stretched. “I’m not eating any more sushi.”

“No. Even better.” Naruto smiled. He could feel that giddy excitement building in his chest.   
“We’re going to get drunk.”

* * *

  
Once they got through the bouncer and the ridiculous cover fee, Naruto led Sasuke to the bar with a hungry look in his eyes. He had been itching for a drink all week, and he was oddly excited to get Sasuke drunk; there had to be a break to that cool and calm exterior…if anything he’d learn something new about the guy. 

He decided to start off easy, grabbing two whiskey and cokes for them and claimed a booth along the wall. Sasuke dropped next to him and took his drink without a word. He still seemed to be sulking over Naruto dragging him out, but he relaxed a little when Naruto bumped him with his shoulder.

“I promise we won’t do anything crazy! Just a couple of drinks to kick back!” Naruto had to shout over the blasting music overhead. The bass was so strong it shook the seats underneath him and reverberated through his bones. Sasuke didn’t look like he believed him, giving him a skeptical expression as he sipped his drink.

After three rounds of drinks, a familiar pink-haired girl walked by their table and paused in surprise.

“Naruto? And Sasuke?” She stumbled closer to the table with a wide smile, a few of her friends followed behind her.

“Sakura!” Naruto sang and threw his hands up. Sasuke rolled his eyes next to him. Maybe he could tell Naruto was starting to get drunk. “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you! We were back at another club but it was pretty dead so we came here!” Sakura had to lean close for Naruto to hear her. Eventually, she and her friends moved farther into the club with their new drinks, picking up men along the way.

Typical Sakura.

Naruto shook his head and laughed.

“Ready for the next round?”

By one o’clock, both Naruto and Sasuke had managed to get whisked away by a hoard of women and found themselves in the back half of the club, surrounded by dancing bodies, flashing lights, and spilling drinks. Naruto couldn’t even remember how it happened. One moment he was talking to Sasuke, the next two hands snuck under his arm and pulled him further into the place. The place Naruto was trying to avoid for Sasuke’s sake was the dance floor, yet there they were, roped into crazy havoc.

Naruto was drunk enough to go with the flow, letting the music guide his body as he humored the women around him, grinding against a few and allowing their hands to graze across his chest. He kept a firm grip on his drink until he finished it, and he barely noticed the girls trying to get his attention. Yeah, he could feel their hands across his body, he could feel when they’d push their ass flush against his groin to the beat of the song, but he was surprised he wasn’t reacting the way he normally did. He was more tired of the heavy attention on him, and his mind was on someone else. At the moment, he was far from Naruto’s grasp but could be seen across the dancefloor stuck in a conversation with six other girls that was probably more of a shouting match than a chat. And Naruto knew Sasuke wouldn’t shout. It was uncool.

He had been dancing earlier, but he probably got bored or tired of it, and from the way the girls were clinging to him it didn’t look like they’d be letting him leave anytime soon. Naruto’s eyes focused on the hands pulling on Sasuke’s shirt, but he couldn’t pay attention to the hands pulling on his own, dragging him back and forth among the crowd as the music shifted from song to song. Was Sasuke having a good time? He never meant for them to get pulled into the center of the club, and he got the feeling Sasuke wasn’t a fan of the whole nightlife thing. He should go over and help him.

Hands snuck up Naruto’s shirt, brushing against his stomach and hips. He glanced down to see a pretty girl looking up at him with bright green eyes and a playful smile. It was an open invitation, and she was wondering if he was interested. At least, that’s what Naruto assumed when her hands moved down to his crotch. He gave the girl a polite smile, but pulled away from her and the group around him, ignoring the disappointed protests from the others. Naruto squeezed past the dancing partygoers, avoiding elbows and drinks until he reached the back wall where Sasuke stood. 

Sasuke glanced up from his conversation, his eyes widening at Naruto’s disheveled appearance with a hint of humor. He didn’t seem to be too upset about the turn of events, and Naruto had the alcohol to thank for that. 

“Sorry ladies but I have to borrow him!” Without waiting for a response, Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the wrist and pulled him into a different section of the club where the bass got a little louder and the lights danced across the close walls and high ceilings in alternate shades of red and green.

“Dance with me!” Naruto swayed with the beat and gave Sasuke a suggestive smile.

“I don’t dance.” Sasuke shook his head before finishing off his drink. Naruto wouldn’t take it as an excuse; he took Sasuke’s empty glass and set it aside on a nearby table before pulling him close and grinding against him. At first, Sasuke was adamant about not dancing, but something must have changed his mind. Maybe it was Naruto’s persevering nature or the pink tint on his face that convinced Sasuke to humor him, even for a night. Sasuke started to move to the beat naturally, and the two found themselves in a crazy dance-off. They couldn’t tell if it was against each other or for each other, and Naruto couldn’t process anything with Sasuke’s body pressed flush against him in the dark. It was different from earlier, where he couldn’t tell whose hand was touching him and where. Now he was over-sensitive, loving the way Sasuke brushed against him or bumped into him when somebody pushed by. 

Song after song, they tirelessly danced together, until Naruto couldn’t control himself anymore. They were both so close, sharing laughter and smiles, nearly nose to nose as they tried to communicate with one another. Naruto finally gave in to the one thought controlling his drunken mind and leaned a little closer to press their lips together. 

He half-expected Sasuke to push him away, brush off his mouth with his arm and storm out, but Sasuke only blinked back at him in surprise before laughing. He didn’t widen the distance between them, in fact, he leaned closer and didn’t protest when Naruto kissed him again, swallowing his laughter. Naruto slipped his hands through Sasuke’s dark, glossy hair and held him close, purposefully grinding their groins together until Naruto felt something stir in his pants. Sasuke’s tongue roamed the inside of Naruto’s mouth, surprisingly smooth and graceful enough to make Naruto think that they’d kissed like this before. 

Naruto could feel something poking the inside of his thigh, and he smiled at the thought of Sasuke being turned on by him. The two made out near the back wall, still swaying to the music, but trapped in their own little world. Naruto couldn’t stop himself from rubbing against Sasuke, but he knew he had to stop soon or else he’d come in his pants.

Sasuke’s breathing hitched, and even though his groan was swallowed by the pounding music, Naruto knew Sasuke felt the same. Naruto wondered if it would really be such a bad thing, considering it felt _so_ good and they were _so_ close…who cared if they made a mess in their pants, right?

Naruto quickly pulled back from the kiss, a small line of spit broke between them. 

“I have to pee.” Naruto answered Sasuke’s confused look with an excuse that wasn’t entirely a lie.

“I do too.” He admitted.

Hand-in-hand, the two navigated back to the front of the club and down the narrow staircase towards the bathrooms. They passed couples making out against the wall and drunk people stumbling their way back to the dance floor before reaching the men’s bathroom. 

They claimed two urinals, and Naruto dared to sneak a peek to see if Sasuke was as turned on as he was. He immediately regretted his decision and tried to force the blood back to his brain so he could actually empty his bladder.

“I think it’s time to go home.” Naruto sighed in defeat. He barely managed to accomplish his goal, and it was only a matter of time before he and Sasuke locked lips again.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear it, but only succeeded in making himself dizzy. He couldn’t believe what was happening. Was any of this real?

He glanced back to Sasuke, taking note that despite how drunk Naruto knew he was, he still looked put together and beautiful. His eyes still had the shine, his hair was a little disheveled but he managed to make it look intentional, and his lips tight in concentration made Naruto’s mind scatter to dirtier things.

He quickly zipped his pants again and stormed to the sink, splashing cold water on his face in rising panic. No more drinking. Clearly it was ruining his self-control.

Naruto couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief until they were outside the club, walking down the dimly lit streets to get home. They wordlessly joined hands, fingers softly interlocking together as they stumbled down the sidewalk and filled the night air with their drunken recollections of the night. Sasuke’s laughter was soft and relaxing, and it made Naruto’s chest tighten with a mixture of glee and what he thought was blooming adoration. Sasuke was so unique and, although stubborn at some times, full of surprises. He could be kind and thoughtful, he could be dark and mysterious, and like now…he could be breathtaking.

“You’re beautiful.” Naruto found himself blurting out into the night. He nearly froze in his tracks, horrified at what had slipped out.

Sasuke slowed down with him, his eyes searching Naruto’s face.

“I know.” He smirked, taking it in stride. It didn’t look like the confession unsettled him, and if anything, his grip tightened on Naruto’s hand. Despite the happiness that flooded through his system, now something colder began to weigh on Naruto’s mind. It was murky and full of uncertainties. It made the smile on his face waver before he forced it to stay in place. He should be living in the moment. He deserved to be happy right now, and it wasn’t possible for him to ignore the pure happiness coursing through his veins as they bumped into each other on the way home. 

They struggled to climb the apartment stairs together and Naruto laughed as he fumbled with his keys at the front door.

When Sasuke moved towards the couch, Naruto refused to let go of his hand and brought him into the bedroom instead. For once, Sasuke didn’t refuse his offer and climbed into bed with him after discarding their pants. They lay face to face, continuing the conversation they held on the walk home, and laughed until their stomachs hurt and the clock read four a.m. The longer they talked, the more Naruto was drawn to Sasuke, and his eyes focused on every little detail of his face while Sasuke did the same to him. They both scooted closer, almost unconsciously, and melted into another kiss a lot softer than the one before.

Sasuke broke the kiss to close his eyes and let out a content sigh. “I had a lot of fun today.”

Naruto tried to hide his shock, but his jaw still dropped at his expression.

Sasuke cracked open an eye, catching him red-handed. “I feel like I haven’t done that in a long time. So, thank you.”

The tightness in his chest only grew, constricting around his heart until it felt like he was suffocating.

“I had a lot of fun too. I think…meeting you was a really good thing. Even if the circumstances are fucked up.”

“I’m lucky it was you.” Sasuke sounded like he agreed, and Naruto caught him nodding at his own words. “Not as many people are as nice as you. Or as stupid.”

“I take that as a compliment.” Naruto laughed, but Sasuke silenced him with another kiss. Being with Sasuke was addicting, every touch left sparks tingling through his veins like a drug. He had never felt this from anyone else before, and it made him wonder if this was what he was looking for. He slid his thigh between Sasuke’s legs, committing the groan Sasuke made to memory. Naruto didn’t know why he assumed Sasuke would just let him do as he pleased, but he wasn’t expecting Sasuke to straddle his waist.

Sasuke took off his shirt and tossed it aside, muttering “hot” under his breath. Naruto didn’t know how to respond, considering all his attention was now directed towards the blood pooling in his groin and the sweet pressure Sasuke was putting on his waist. Sasuke was awakening a beast Naruto had thought he put to rest earlier in the night, and every brush of movement made him grind his teeth. Sasuke bent down and pulled him into another deep kiss that made Naruto’s head spin; he dug his fingers into Sasuke’s thigh, earning a small groan and a delicious rock against his erection in return. Naruto groaned aloud and bit his lip.

It felt amazing…in fact, it felt too amazing. Naruto could feel himself being swept away in his tide of emotions, carried away by the moment and he knew it was something he’d regret again. It was that dark and heavy feeling that lingered over him, reminding him of the circumstances and it left him doubting everything.

“Sasuke wait…” Naruto somehow managed to find his voice as Sasuke rocked against him again, back and forth, his erection pressed tight against Naruto’s abdomen and teasing every ounce of sanity in Naruto’s hazy mind.

Sasuke paused, halting his movement, and then cocked his head to the side in a small, but unbearably cute manner. Naruto almost wished he didn’t listen to him.

Naruto pushed down the images he had of himself bending Sasuke over and fucking him until the sun came up, a fantasy that he knew he wouldn’t be able to get rid of for some time.

“I really want to do this…God, I want to so bad, but…” Naruto fumbled for words, trying hard not to focus on Sasuke’s toned thighs and godly-perfect ass in his hands. “I really like you…like a lot, okay? So…if I did it with you and then you left…honestly I don’t know what I’d do…I’m tired of hooking up with people and moving on, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck with me…” Naruto felt like he was rambling on, so he faltered at the end of his sentence as he reluctantly met Sasuke’s stare. 

It was surprisingly…vacant.

“I’m not making sense, am I?” Naruto sighed. “I don’t want to sound like I don’t want to have sex, but I think I get attached too easily…if I’m not already…” Naruto meant to mutter the last part under his breath, but it just slipped out without warning.

Sasuke nodded. “I get it.”

Naruto blinked back in surprise. “You do?”

“The gist of it.” Sasuke slid off Naruto’s lap and back onto the bed. “If you have sex with me, you’ll fall in love with me, right?”

Naruto shook his head. “No…no it’s a little different from that…”

He couldn’t find the voice to tell Sasuke the truth. That he thought he had already fallen in love with him, and whether they had sex or not, Naruto would suffer from a broken heart.

Sasuke shrugged before lying down beside him, his eyes trained on Naruto.

“You don’t want me to leave?”

Naruto met Sasuke’s gaze. As intense as it now was, the guy seemed to be searching for an answer. Naruto knew full and well that Sasuke couldn’t, and wouldn’t, stay with him. That’s not the way things worked, and the circumstances were far more complicated than that. Yet…Naruto had gotten used to sharing his apartment with him; even if Sasuke rarely laughed at his jokes, he had someone to share a beer with after a long day at work, someone to talk to when he’d otherwise be alone…that was something Naruto didn’t realize he’d been craving. He didn’t know if he was in love with Sasuke or the idea of him being around.

“I don’t.” Naruto answered honestly. “I know it’s impossible, but I’d want you to stay forever.”

He knew it was impossible, and he ended his words with a heavy sigh as he pulled the comforter over the two of them. 

“I’m going to miss you when you leave Sasuke…know that, okay?”

Sasuke slowly pulled his gaze away and towards the ceiling before turning over in bed to face the other direction. His voice came out impossibly quiet.

“Okay.”

Naruto closed his eyes, wondering why he felt like he was minutes away from bursting into tears.

When Naruto awoke in the morning, he turned over in empty sheets and woke up to an empty room. There was no sign of the man who had stayed with him the past few months, nor any evidence that he’d ever existed aside from the scent he left behind in Naruto’s bed.

The only thing he left behind was a heavy lump in Naruto’s chest that made him roll over in bed, bury his face in his pillow, and cry himself back to sleep.

And just like that, Sasuke had disappeared.


	2. Converging Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Half a year has passed and Naruto is still struggling to get over Sasuke. Yet, little things begin to hint to him that Sasuke may not have been as far as he believed...

_Four months later_

_“Last night, a police investigation uncovered a hidden facility where illegal human experimentation and research had been taking place. Due to the surrounding mountainous terrain, its existence has been camouflaged just outside of Konoha for what is estimated to be over twenty years…”_

Naruto clicked off the TV and tossed the remote back onto the couch as he reached for his keys. Honestly, who cared about the news anymore? There was crazy shit happening every day in the city now, so it was hard to be surprised about what popped up on the TV. 

As much as Naruto fantasized about leaving the city, an equal part of him wanted to stay. He had grown up here, and all of his friends lived here. There wasn’t anything for him anywhere else. But the city also felt like a festering wound, eating away at whatever happiness he thought he had.

Naruto picked up his phone just as it began to buzz with another dozen notifications.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Naruto grumbled to no one in particular and slammed his apartment door shut behind him.

* * *

  
“…and then the guy just answers the door naked as fuck and asks me if I want to be part of his ‘video’!”

Naruto tuned back into Kiba’s story a bit too late to understand the context, but that appeared to be fine since Sakura was fully invested.

“You’re kidding! And of course you said yes, right?” she reached for her eighth drink and pounded it down with a satisfied sigh. 

“Hell no! He didn’t even give me a good tip, why would I want to be any part of that?” Kiba tilted his head back and laughed loud enough to earn the attention of half the bar.

Naruto stared at his drink, wishing he were at home right now. Why did he even agree to come out with them tonight? He knew they got obnoxious when they drank, and he wasn’t exactly in the mood to be socializing.

“Naruto, I really thought you would get a kick out of that story, what the hell is wrong with you these days? You’re so…” Kiba hiccupped, “moody lately. It’s not like you.”

With a huff, Naruto picked up his drink and drank half of it before forming his response. He didn’t want to be an asshole, but he was really getting sick of his friends saying that. Moody? That was an understatement. They say he wasn’t acting the same? Well, he wasn’t the same. Things changed, and well, Naruto was tired.

He didn’t even know how he felt about it anymore. At first, it was just sadness and disbelief. It was weird having an empty apartment again with no one around to talk to. There were times where Naruto could swear he heard Sasuke’s voice or heard someone else in the room, but it was always the same. He was gone. No note, no warning, no way of contacting him, nothing. What the hell was he supposed to do with that? Was it because he made a move on him? Did he scare Sasuke away? He would never know, and how was he supposed to feel about that?

Naruto hated taking his frustration out on other people, so he spent his time alone. When he felt bad, he’d come out to reconnect with his friends only to be attacked over it all over again. It pissed him off. He should’ve just gotten drunk at home.

“Sorry my moodiness bothers you.” Naruto muttered before finishing his drink.

“We’re just worried about you. It’s a really shitty situation…but you shouldn’t take it so hard! You can’t be sad about it forever! How about we go look for some hotties at the club tonight, huh?”

“I’m not looking for that anymore. Not for a while.” Naruto picked up the menu and scanned through it, purely for the sake of avoiding eye contact. Why was it so hard for him to avoid this conversation every time they went out together? It’d been months for fuck’s sake.

“Man, fuck that guy Naruto! I mean…clearly you wanted to, but what I mean is…” Kiba trailed off when Sakura shot him a murderous look.

“ _Kiba_.” 

With that, Naruto abruptly stood up and excused himself. He decided to fully disengage himself before he lost his temper in this stupid bar over something so trivial and stupid.

“Naruto!” Sakura called after him, but Naruto ignored her, weaving through the people gathered near the entrance before stepping out into the night air.

Even in the evening, it was sweltering hot outside. This summer had been brutal, to the point where Naruto hated going outside. It was a constant state of being sweaty and miserable, a complete opposite of last winter when it felt like the Earth itself was starting to freeze over.

Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way back home. Winter brought back a lot of memories, many of which Naruto didn’t feel ready to get rid of. They were bittersweet and sometimes just caused nothing but pain; even so, they were still important to him.  
Everyone told him to let it go and just move on, but it wasn’t that simple. God, if only it were that simple.

  
Even though he knew it was a bad idea, Naruto started to ignore his messages from Kiba and Sakura. Honestly, speaking with them just made him feel worse, and Naruto was desperately trying to feel better. He wanted to get over it, and he would, but on his own time.

Naruto found himself driving around town after work, not yet ready to return home but also not exactly sure where he should go. He decided to take the main road out of the city, following behind the evening rush hour traffic in what felt like a daze.

He wondered what would happen if he just kept driving and never came back. Instead, he pulled over near the woods and sat there, staring into the dark trees as if he would find the answer to what he was looking for. He cut the headlights and sat in darkness; the only light came from the passing cars on the road and brought the strangest feeling that Naruto could only interpret as tranquility.

He remembered driving down this road, his eyes wandering to these exact trees where he saw a figure that looked exactly like a ghost. In hindsight, pulling over to flag down a naked stranger would be one of Naruto’s stupidest choices, but it no longer felt like a mistake.

He would do it again.

If it meant saving a life or helping out someone in need, he would easily do it again.

“Sasuke…” 

Naruto’s voice cracked, and he realized he was crying. He hadn’t said that name aloud since the day he left, and it only felt hollow. Where was he now? Did he ever get his memories back? Did he remember Naruto?

Would he ever come back?

With a heavy sigh, Naruto turned the car back on and drove home before he could go anywhere else. This, in a roundabout way, was him saying goodbye. It was so much harder than he thought it would be.

* * *

When Naruto got home, he noticed a fat envelope waiting for him in his mailbox with the rest of his mail. Naruto scratched his head in confusion, but nonetheless brought it upstairs with him. As he walked inside, he examined the package with a pensive expression. No return address, but his name and address were written in beautiful handwriting. Who the hell was it from?

Naruto shut his door and walked into the hallway, switching on lights as he went, and slowly tore open the top to peer inside of the envelope.

In shock, the package slipped from his hands and fell to the floor, spilling hundreds of bills across the hardwood. 

Naruto’s eyes scanned the bills as he counted in his head. There had to be at least four-thousand dollars on his floor right now. The last time he saw something like this…

A small slip of white paper caught Naruto’s eye. Slowly, Naruto bent down to pick it up and flipped it over. 

_For my share of the rent_   
_Sasuke_

“What…?” Naruto realized he was shaking. Before he could feel anything else, rage took over everything Naruto thought he had gotten over, and he tore the note in half.

Sasuke was fucking with him. 

He knew Naruto had no way of contacting him, yet he disappears without warning and now he sends him a shit ton of money in the mail? What about a letter like a decent fucking human being? Maybe a phone number or an address?

Naruto didn’t even want to touch the money. God knows where it came from. Did anyone die for this money? Was someone going to come after him to get this money?

Swearing under his breath, Naruto started to pick up the bills and placed them back into the envelope. He wasn’t going to accept this, no way. Sasuke could take his money and shove it where the sun didn’t shine, for all he cared.

* * *

Naruto continued his daily routine, forcing himself to fall back into his regular habits despite the new inkling of curiosity that threatened it. He passed the same envelope every day when he left for work, and his eyes glossed over it when he got home in the evening, but Naruto refused to think any more about it. The more he thought about it, the more emotions it stirred up, and Naruto believed that he had buried those emotions four months ago.

Hope.

As much as he denied it, Naruto desperately wanted to believe that Sasuke wasn’t as far away as he thought. He wanted Sasuke to come back. To come home.  
But even so, the anger just wouldn’t go away. He couldn’t understand it either, and in the end, it just made him feel selfish for feeling this way.

After a few weeks, things were finally falling back into place. Naruto could admit that he felt better; he spent his weekends with Sakura and Kiba again and immersed himself at work until it was time to come home.

When Friday rolled around, Naruto caught himself daydreaming during lunch. He watched the city bustle outside his office window, wondering where everyone was going, or what they were coming home to at the end of the day. Did they have families to come home to? Friends waiting to go out with them?

Naruto had always wanted a family to come home to. He’d lost his parents young, and he had forgotten what it felt like to have someone waiting for him to return. He had gotten used to the empty apartment and the deafening silence, but when Sasuke came along everything had changed. Sasuke had the warmth Naruto had been searching for, and it wasn’t the kind of warmth anyone could provide. Sakura, Kiba, and a few other of his friends were always over, but it was still the same. It was lively, but it was lonely. Everyone would soon leave and go back to their places and Naruto would remain. 

Naruto sighed as his phone began to buzz against the table. He frowned when he saw it was an unknown number and hit reject without another thought.

Not even fifteen minutes later, his supervisor approached him at his desk. His expression was always hidden behind his allergy mask, but Naruto could swear he saw him smiling.

“Hey Naruto, you have a call on line three.”

“Oh? Who is it?” Naruto scratched his head and looked at the phone. 

His boss shrugged and walked away. “No idea, but they asked for you.”

Naruto hesitated before he picked up the line. It better be good if they were interrupting his break.

“Hello?”

“ _Good afternoon, is this Naruto Uzumaki_?” a bright, bubblegum voice replied. Naruto could imagine a small child prank calling people, not exactly a professional at their job.

“Who’s asking?”

“ _My name is Hana and I am the main assistant here at Uchiha Enterprises. Mr. Uchiha has requested that I reach out to you to have you come in and speak with him…_ ”

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and stared down at his desk. He vaguely knew of Uchiha Enterprises, only because they were one of the ritzy, corporates that somehow owned half of the city. They had advertisements and partnerships everywhere these days, and the people who worked there were not the type of people Naruto would ever associate with. So why the fuck would someone request to meet him? Particularly an Uchiha? No, this was some shady shit. 

“Uh…” Naruto shook his head, wondering how he could shut it down without sounding like an asshole. “I’m really sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. You say Mr. Uchiha, but…I don’t know anyone by that name.”

There was a brief moment of silence on the other line before the voice returned. 

“ _Oh? Mr. Uchiha requested you personally…Are you sure? You don’t know Sasuke Uchiha?_ ”

Naruto froze, the receiver nearly slipping out his hands. 

“Sasuke?” Naruto echoed, not quite processing the information he was hearing. “Ah…”

“ _Yes! I wanted to set up an appointment for this evening, do you think you could come in?_ ”

“No, sorry. If he really wanted to see me, he’d do it himself.” Naruto slammed the receiver down, his own words sounded hollow in his ears. He wanted to sound angry, yet he couldn’t seem to summon the strength. He had never known Sasuke’s last name…he had just assumed he either didn’t have one, or Sasuke couldn’t remember it. 

Of all things…he was an Uchiha?

There was no way. A big ass corporation like that came from generations of wealth, and that meant they would be big on lineage. No one would let their child go missing and lose their memory when they were an heir to a company like that. It was bullshit. It didn’t make sense.

On top of that, they called him at work? How did they even get his number? He couldn’t even call himself, he had to have his assistant call him. Because he must be so busy.

“Shit.” Naruto leaned back in his chair and pushed his hair back. He had gotten his answer, and he wasn’t happy about it. Sasuke was clearly alive and thriving, and now he had to be important enough to schedule an appointment to meet with him. Great.

With his mood ruined, Naruto threw himself back into work until it was time for the office to close for the week, and by then he had lost any motivation he had to go out drinking with his friends.

“I’m just gonna call it a night guys, sorry.” Naruto gave an apologetic wave to his coworkers and shimmied his way out of the building, avoiding their pleas for him to change his mind. There was no way he could sit back and have a fun night now that he had a new weight bearing down on his heart.

On his way home from work, Naruto drove past the Uchiha Enterprises building that nearly dominated the downtown area. Its sky-high glass windows reflected the city lights at night, and the way it stood out against the skyline demanded attention from most photographers. Naruto had seen a few articles about the building in magazines and occasionally on the news, but he had never been this close to it in person. He wondered how many times he had passed it by without giving it much thought, and yet now it felt like the building towered over his entire world. 

Naruto kept driving, forcing himself to follow his usual route home and not turn around to see what was really going on inside of that building. It was beyond him now, and he wanted nothing more than to come home to his apartment and crawl into bed.

He pulled into the parking lot of his apartment and hesitated, his hand resting on his keys. Maybe he should go out with his friends after all. They were only trying to cheer him up, and he was only making it worse by isolating himself again. That said, Naruto hated to put a damper on the mood. If he wanted to sulk, he should do it by himself.

With a sigh, Naruto turned off the car and made his way through the parking lot and into his apartment. He kicked off his shoes at the doorway and shrugged out of his clothes as he went straight to his shower, hoping he could escape his thoughts for at least a few minutes. Naruto took his time, scrubbing shampoo through his hair before massaging his head in little circles; the amount of stress he’d put himself through this year would make him start turning gray early. Naruto’s thoughts went immediately to his boss, Kakashi. The guy wasn’t even that old, but as long as Naruto knew him, he’d had gray hair…it was unfortunate, really. Naruto wasn’t trying to follow suit. 

Naruto had just begun to rinse the conditioner out of his hair when he thought he heard the doorbell ring.

“Hn?” Naruto paused, listening to see if would ring again. After a few seconds, the ringing began again more aggressively before. The constant dinging cut through the peaceful atmosphere Naruto had finally achieved during his shower and burrowed itself under his skin. He wanted to ignore it. Oh, he wanted to ignore it so badly, but…

“Motherfucker.” Naruto turned off his shower, slammed the door open and snatched his towel to wrap it around his waist as he stormed out his bathroom. He ignored the soap running down his back and left his apartment barefoot, prepared to give his surprise visitor a piece of his mind.

If it was Kiba trying to convince him to come out with them, he was going to pay. Did no one call anymore? What kind of manners was it to break someone’s doorbell? If it were Sakura, she’d skip the doorbell and bust her way into his apartment, and that would be on a good day. Naruto didn’t even care that he was mostly naked, whoever made the mistake of ringing his doorbell tonight was going to feel his wrath, and he’d been storing it for weeks.

“What the _fuck_ ,” Naruto seethed as he threw open the lobby door, “do you want?! Stop ringing my doorbell you assho—”

Naruto’s words died in his throat as he registered who his visitor was. His eyes moved from the dark, silky hair that was now longer than he remembered it being, to the perfect pale and handsome face he’d only seen in his dreams. The same pair of dark eyes stared back at him; deep pools of onyx that nearly reflected Naruto’s expression back at him.

“I thought you’d never answer the door.” Sasuke sighed as he nudged his way inside, easily pushing Naruto back with his shoulder as he passed by to stand inside the lobby area. “I was sweating my ass off out there.”

Naruto opened his mouth, but when the words failed to materialize, he closed it again in defeat. He had to be mistaken, right? Sasuke couldn’t be standing in front of him, as he always used to, as if…

As if time hadn’t passed at all.

He wanted to reach out and touch him to make sure he wasn’t an illusion. He wanted to at least slap him to find out, but he couldn’t even force his mouth to move let alone his arm.

“I wasn’t expecting you to answer the door like this…I guess that’s what took you so long.” Sasuke took in Naruto’s appearance before pointing upstairs. “Let’s talk.”

“W-where are you…?” Naruto watched him head upstairs, still frozen in place.

“Inside? Are you coming?” Sasuke asked as if it were common sense. He disappeared inside, and Naruto found himself running up the stairs in a panic, as if Sasuke were going to disappear once he left his sight. 

It was so confusing. The murky emotions Naruto had stored in his heart had once again started thrashing around like a wild animal. He felt waves of anger, sadness, and happiness all at once, and they all fought for dominance in his head. As Naruto stepped back into his apartment, he took in Sasuke standing in his hallway, perfectly unsettled.

Naruto made a second attempt at a coherent sentence. “What are you doing here, Sasuke?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I came to talk to you.”

“You’re a bit late for that.” Naruto replied flatly. “Six months too late, actually.”

Naruto’s gaze slid from Sasuke to the envelope on the counter. As he stared at it, the same goddamn curse he had to look at every day for the past few weeks, Naruto realized that he was angry. So fucking angry. He still didn’t know if he felt this anger towards Sasuke or himself.

“Great that you’re here. You can take this back with you.” Naruto grabbed the envelope and pushed it into Sasuke’s hands. “I don’t want this anywhere near me.”

He stormed past Sasuke in the hallway, but a hand gripped his arm to pull him back.

“Naruto, wait. Can you just hear me out?” Sasuke tightened his grip, but it didn’t make a difference. Naruto’s skin was still slick enough for him to slide out of Sasuke’s grip and step away.

“No. No I can’t. I waited for months. _Months_ , Sasuke, for something…and you think you can just show up like nothing happened?” A bitter smirk crossed Naruto’s features. “No, I’m sorry, I forgot I was asked to make an appointment with you beforehand! My bad, I’m sure you’re so busy.”

He knew he was snapping. It was bound to happen, and Naruto felt he was entitled to be angry. He should be pissed. He should kick the guy out and refuse to ever see him again. He had gone six months of trying to forget him, and now he had to start all over again? He hated that. 

“Naruto, please.” 

“No, Sasuke…I can’t. You—” Naruto shook his head, “…this is crazy, you can’t…”

“I’m not leaving until you hear me out.” Sasuke seemed to have lost the confidence Naruto remembered he had. Sasuke had always spoken with conviction, like his words were law and needed to be listened to, and they usually commanded Naruto’s attention. This time, Sasuke’s words sounded as fragile as an empty threat, and Naruto could see the tears in his eyes. He may have stridden in like he owned the place, and that was the Sasuke he remembered, not the one who stood in front of him now.

“I obviously could never be able to pay you back for what you did for me, but this is just some of the rent money I should have been paying you. Please, just keep it.”

Naruto crossed his arms and took a breath to calm himself. “It was never about the money Sasuke. I didn’t help you so that I could be paid back. How many times do I have to tell you that? I don’t want your money! I just wanted to be someone you could trust instead of someone you lied to.”

Sasuke scowled down at the money in his hands before tossing it onto the coffee table between them.

“I couldn’t tell you the truth because I knew you would’ve tried to involve yourself in it.”

“Of course I would have!” Naruto’s voice rose to a shout. “I would have done everything I could to help you! You were important to me, why wouldn’t I try to help you after everything?! That doesn’t mean you cut me off! You can’t just disappear like you never existed!”

Sasuke warily met Naruto’s glare.

“I was important to you?”

“Jesus Sasuke.” Naruto turned his back to him and crossed the room to look out the window. The sun was finally starting to set, signaling the streetlights to take over for the rest of the night as traffic continued on around them. Someone outside seemed to be laying on the horn, causing a chorus of angry honks around it. Naruto stared out at nothing in particular; he searched for what he really wanted to say. What he needed to say.

“I tried to forget you Sasuke.” Naruto admitted. He slowly turned to give Sasuke a glimpse of his sad expression. “I thought you were gone for good, so I tried to move on, and somehow…I couldn’t. Isn’t that weird? Six months, and we weren’t even dating or anything…and I still couldn’t get you out of my head.”

Sasuke remained silent. He only watched Naruto with wide eyes, as though he were afraid that his next words would bring an end to everything. Maybe they could, but Naruto wouldn’t know.

“You seem to be doing fairly well! Uchiha enterprises, huh? You got a fancy inheritance and a flashy company with wads of cash you can send in the mail. What’s a rich boy like you doing in the woods, naked and freezing like that?” Naruto tapped his cheek, realizing his tone was dangerously cynical. “I still can’t wrap my head around that one.”

“No that’s not true, Naruto. I just want to…can I explain? Can you please just listen to me?” It was strange hearing Sasuke plead with him. Naruto had never seen him do it, nor did he think that the guy had it in him. It didn’t make him particularly happy to see it, but it told Naruto that maybe Sasuke still cared. That these six months could add up to something other than wasted time.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he considered his response. His pride wanted him to reject Sasuke with everything he had. Payback for all of the nights Naruto laid awake worrying if Sasuke had managed to get himself killed or worse. The rest of him couldn’t hold onto that anger anymore. It had all fallen away and left him bare as soon as he saw the tears in Sasuke’s eyes. He didn’t want the guy to cry, despite all the tears Naruto had shed for him. He wanted to pull Sasuke close and never, ever, let him go again. 

Naruto didn’t want to talk anymore. It felt like words wouldn’t be enough to make things right, and Sasuke had always been too complicated for him to figure out. Even if he got the whole story spelled out in front of him, would those six months hurt any less? He already had a headache setting in, and Naruto felt like he had other important things to take care of right now.

“So, are you staying in town for good, or are you planning on vanishing again?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Sasuke sounded sure of that, and Naruto wanted to believe him.

“Well, you’ll have time to explain yourself later then. I’m gonna finish my shower—” Naruto fell silent as Sasuke crossed the room to approach him. He gripped both of Naruto’s arms and looked him dead in the eyes with tears streaming down his face.

“Why won’t you listen to me?” he demanded with a sob.

Naruto, at a loss for words, stared back at him. He could feel the pressure as Sasuke’s fingers dug into his skin, but nothing hurt more than watching the tears fall in front of him. Slowly, Naruto lifted his right arm until Sasuke let go, and used his hand to gently brush Sasuke’s hair out of his face. 

“I am listening.” Naruto murmured.

“I’m trying to tell you I’m sorry!”

“I know.” Naruto patted him on the head, a small smile spread across his face and he pulled Sasuke into a hug. “I know, so stop crying okay? You’re an ugly crier.” 

“You’re such an ass…” Sasuke mumbled against his shoulder.

The last time Naruto had held Sasuke in his arms like this…it had to have been their last night together. Naruto remembered that night as if it had just happened yesterday. The feeling of Sasuke’s hand in his, the beautiful sound of his laughter in the night…that overwhelming thought of _oh so this is what love feels like_.

“Do you remember our last night together?” Naruto stroked the back of Sasuke’s head and caught a glimpse of how pink his ears were.

“How could I forget?”

Naruto paused, his tone becoming rueful. “Did you think I went too far? Should I not have said anything?”

In past relationships, Naruto had been told that he either took things too slow or came on too strong with his emotions. It was as if he had no in-between, but the truth was that his emotions didn’t simply work like that. Sometimes, when he felt something, he felt it intensely, and it wasn’t something he could control. Out of fear of yet another person rejecting those feelings, Naruto took a step back to control it. But with Sasuke, once he realized what he felt was real and not going away, those emotions only got stronger until it felt as though he were suffocating.

Naruto hadn’t been able to breathe for six entire months. Until now.

“I think we could’ve taken it farther.” Sasuke pulled back to wrinkle his nose at Naruto. “What you said back then…it really made me think about everything. How I didn’t want to hurt you…but look what good that did, right?”

Naruto gave him a half-hearted chuckle and forced his tears back.

“After everything, I ended up coming back because I only had one place where I wanted to stay.” Sasuke looked around the apartment, his eyes touching every piece of furniture around them. “Nothing has changed.”

Surely it must be nostalgic for Sasuke to return to his apartment, considering the amount of time he had spent cooped up in it. The nights they spent on the couch watching movies or spread out on the floor sharing ideas and theories…this place had become Sasuke’s home. Even when Sasuke wasn’t there, Naruto could swear that he felt his presence.

“No more secrets. No more vanishing.” Sasuke reached up and brush away a lone tear that tried to roll down Naruto’s cheek. “Can I stay with you?”

Naruto choked back a sob and dropped his head to Sasuke’s shoulder. It felt like he was dreaming, and any moment he would snap awake alone in his bed, crying over another what-if hallucination. And yet, Sasuke’s hands were cradling his face and his fingers were running through his hair…how far could his own illusions go?

“I’ve been waiting for you, asshole. You knew you could from the beginning…” Naruto crushed Sasuke against him, barely registering the discomforted grunt he got in response. Sasuke hugged him back, his hands digging into Naruto’s bare skin as if he wanted to tear it off.

“You know…” Sasuke began, his fingers picking at Naruto’s back. “There’s dried soap all over you.”

When Naruto pulled away, he caught the endearing smile on Sasuke’s face. God, he had missed it so much. He had missed Sasuke so much, and now he stood right in front of him. This was real.

Naruto leaned in for a kiss and felt his heart skip a few beats when Sasuke met him halfway, tangling his hands back into Naruto’s hair. He felt Sasuke’s tongue sneak into his mouth, teasing him into deepening the kiss until the two broke apart, slightly out of breath.

“That’s your fault.” Naruto huffed with a playful smile. He stepped out of Sasuke’s orbit and made his way back towards the bathroom, taking off his towel as he went. “I’m going to finish my shower, make yourself at home.”

Somehow Naruto wasn’t surprised when he heard Sasuke step into the bathroom as he tweaked with the shower. He couldn’t hide his grin as he turned back around to see Sasuke shrugging out of his shirt in front of him.

“Oh?” Naruto lifted an eyebrow as he watched.

“I sweat a shit ton walking to your place,” Sasuke unzipped his pants and kicked them aside, “so I figured we could save water.”

“Bullshit. I know your ass didn’t walk all the way here from downtown.” Naruto’s grip tightened on the shower door as his eyes wandered down Sasuke’s bare torso.

“Fine. It was hot waiting outside of your door, okay?”

“Were you trying to impress me?”

“Shut up Naruto.” Sasuke stepped out of his underwear and glanced up, catching Naruto’s stare. “What are you looking at? You’ve seen me naked enough times, haven’t you?”

“I-It’s been a while…” Naruto blushed, redirecting his attention back to the shower. He backed up against the wall to let Sasuke in, and Naruto found himself in a situation he hadn’t even fantasized about yet.

His shower was barely big enough for him, so two grown men were really pushing it. Sasuke knew that, and as Sasuke rinsed off under the hot spray of water, Naruto rested his hands on the only place he had room to rest them.

Sasuke didn’t voice any concerns about the hands on his waist, nor did he when Naruto pressed himself flush against his ass. When Naruto gave in to the one thing circulating his mind, Sasuke jumped when he felt something hard press against him.

“Hey…” Sasuke turned around, only to be pressed up against Naruto’s chest instead. “This shower is a lot smaller than I remember…”

“Yeah?” Naruto bumped their foreheads together. “I can show you something that’s a lot bigger than you remember?”

Naruto watched in amusement as Sasuke’s face flushed bright red. He ducked his head down, a beat too late, and smacked Naruto’s arm.

“Idiot!”

“Maybe.” Naruto ran his hand down Sasuke’s spine, following the dip that curved into what Naruto deemed a perfect ass. He gave it an experimental squeeze that made Sasuke groan against him. Slick with soap, Naruto started to grind his hips against Sasuke’s, indulging in the satisfying friction it made when Sasuke mimicked him. “Shit Sasuke…”

Turning his back to the spray of water, Naruto pushed Sasuke against the wall and kissed him again. Every touch sent sparks through his body and left it feeling burning hot. Excitement, desire, impatience…Naruto thought that maybe they should take it slow, but there was so much he had wanted to do with Sasuke, and he had waited so long…

Sasuke tilted his head back, breaking the kiss, and groaned when Naruto’s fingers started exploring inside his body. His heartbeat pounded against Naruto’s chest, the sound lost in the pattering water behind them, but Naruto kept him close to feel that comforting rhythm beat against his own. 

Naruto reached down to wrap his hand around Sasuke’s dick. It slowly twitched to full size in his hand as he started to give Sasuke a few quick-paced pumps. Sasuke returned the favor, dropping one hand from Naruto’s arm to bring their erections together. They were both slick with soap and precum, which made it easy for their hands to slide over one another as they made out.

Naruto let out a heavy breath before repositioning himself. It didn’t look like things were going to go as perfectly as he’d hoped. He couldn’t wait any longer, and it didn’t sound like Sasuke could either. 

Carefully so they wouldn’t slip and fall, Naruto lifted Sasuke’s left leg at the knee to make things a little easier as he aligned himself. Sasuke tightened his grip around Naruto’s neck with one hand and used his other to reach down and guide Naruto until he pushed in the tip.

Sasuke inhaled sharply, and Naruto took that as his warning to take it slow, ensuring that he didn’t hurt Sasuke as he slowly pushed in deeper. Naruto tried not to lose his mind as he felt the tight warmth surrounding him, pulsing with heat and life, and the adorable sounds Sasuke made when he thrust against him. The two shared heated breaths and moans as Naruto moved; It was every fantasy Naruto could ask for. To be able to hold Sasuke close like this…this was what he had wanted.

Fingers grazed the back of Naruto’s neck when he pushed in deeper, and Naruto had to brace his hand against the wall to keep them steady. Shower sex wasn’t exactly his forte, considering everything was twice as slippery as it usually was and he didn’t exactly have the freedom to move as he pleased. He did appreciate holding Sasuke in his arms and the little pants he let out near his ear…that was something he could work with.

Each thrust fueled the fire coiling in his gut, and he soon noticed that Sasuke’s legs were shaking.

_Maybe he’s getting tired?_ Naruto smiled as he relinquished his hold on the wall and instead used both hands to lift Sasuke up.

“Wrap your legs around me.” Naruto instructed as he repositioned them against the wall. 

“ _Hahn_ —” Sasuke winced as Naruto spread his legs and pushed in deeper.

“God you’re so adorable Sasuke.” Naruto sucked on the side of Sasuke’s neck and focused on keeping them both upright.

“S-shut up Naruto!!” he gritted out, but Naruto knew he wasn’t actually angry. In fact, he knew Sasuke was feeling really good by the way he melted into Naruto’s embrace. His heavy breathing drowned out the sound of everything else. He couldn’t hear the shower running, he couldn’t hear his own moans, and he couldn’t hear his heartbeat despite how heavily he felt it thundering in his chest.

This was it, Naruto thought. Nothing could get better than this.

Yeah, he had his fair share of dirty thoughts about Sasuke, and they may or may not have amplified over the past six months, but the fact that everything was exactly as he thought it would be made it that much more intense. God, he had wanted him for so long…

“ _Naruto…_ ” Sasuke uttered a husky plea that Naruto immediately understood. Naruto met him halfway with another sloppy kiss, and Sasuke grabbed a fistful of Naruto’s hair as his body began to tighten. Naruto could feel his climax approaching quickly, and out of a desperate need to be as close as possible, Naruto spread Sasuke’s legs a little wider and pushed in as deep as he could. 

In a mixture of shock and pleasure, Sasuke cried out as his orgasm ripped through him. He kept his grip tight as Naruto gave a few last thrusts before he came hard, resulting in him losing his balance. He stumbled forward but managed to hold onto Sasuke without falling. Unfortunately, when he stumbled forward, he smacked the back of Sasuke’s head against the tile wall.

“Oh shit Sasuke!” Naruto lowered him to the floor and cradled him against his chest. “I’m sorry, your poor hard head!”

Naruto did feel bad about it, because he knew Sasuke had hit the wall with quite some force, but he couldn’t help but joke about it.

Sasuke’s lack of response started to make him worry though.

“Are you alright? I’m really sorry.” Naruto leaned back to look at Sasuke’s expression and froze. 

Maybe he actually had hurt him. His face was flushed as tears ran down his cheeks, and Naruto had been lying when he said Sasuke was an ugly crier. He doubted the guy could ever be ugly, even if he tried.

“Did I hurt you? Shit, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should’ve gone slower right? That was your first time, wasn’t it? Why didn’t you say something?!” Naruto tried to wipe away his tears in rising panic.

“It doesn’t hurt.” Sasuke replied quietly. “It didn’t hurt, Naruto.”

“Then why are you crying?”

Sasuke hesitated, and Naruto continued to run his thumbs across Sasuke’s cheeks to catch any lone tears that dared to fall.

“Because I missed you.” Sasuke sighed and finally met Naruto’s worried gaze. “These six months weren’t exactly easy for me, you know.”

Relieved, Naruto planted a kiss on Sasuke’s forehead.

“Don’t scare me like that!”

“The back of my head actually does hurt.” Sasuke groaned. He stepped around Naruto to rinse under the water before stepping out of the shower.

“Again, I’m sorry. It’s really slippery in here, okay?”

Sasuke threw him an accusatory glare over his shoulder and snatched the last towel.

“Maybe you can air-dry then.”

“I’m glad you’re back to being an asshole.” Naruto smiled, and he really meant it. Sasuke wasn’t Sasuke without his trademark sass and attitude.

Sasuke measured Naruto’s expression as if to see whether he was joking or not. He ended up mirroring Naruto’s smile before walking out of the bathroom.

“I never stopped.”

* * *

After finishing his shower, Naruto spent a few minutes standing in the bathroom and wondering how he was going to leave without his towel. He didn’t want to track water through the apartment, but he refused to call Sasuke back. These few moments gave his brain a much-needed breather as he tried to comprehend what was happening to him. 

He didn’t seem to be dreaming.

No, this felt too real to be a dream. Naruto crossed his arms and squeezed his eyes shut as he thought; he wanted to believe that he would forgive Sasuke, no matter what his reasons were…but what if he couldn’t? Would any of it change the way he felt right now?

Naruto opened his eyes when he heard footsteps returning to the door.

Sasuke peered into the bathroom to catch Naruto simply standing there, in the center of the room, pouting.

“How long did you plan on standing there like that?” Sasuke gave him a rueful smile before walking in to hand Naruto a towel.

“As long as it took to dry off.” Naruto lied, but he accepted the towel with a smile of his own. The guy could be considerate; he managed to find a clean towel for him, and damn did this feel nostalgic.

“Everything is exactly where it used to be.” Sasuke picked at his sweatpants, well, Naruto’s sweatpants that he had loaned to Sasuke during his stay. 

Naruto didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had left everything that way in case Sasuke decided to come back. It was embarrassing, really. It seemed like he was never prepared to get over Sasuke in the first place, no matter how adamantly he rejected the idea of missing him.

“I really am an idiot.” Naruto sighed, wrapping his towel around his waist. “And now I’m exhausted. You’re spending the night, right?”

Naruto left the bathroom and made his way back to his bedroom without waiting for a reply. He could hear Sasuke’s slow and tentative footsteps behind him in the hall.

“I am?”

“Do you have somewhere else to be?” Naruto asked. He paused at the doorway to look at Sasuke in curiosity. It was an honest question, considering he didn’t know anything about Sasuke’s life now. The guy could have a Friday night conference with the Governor for all he knew.

“Nowhere important.” Sasuke took a few steps closer before stopping again. “Is this an invitation?”

“You’re the one who asked if you could stay.” Naruto huffed. He went into his room and sought out a clean pair of boxer-briefs. “I’m not really a one-night-stand kind of guy.”

“Ooh, so this is out of obligation?” Sasuke sounded amused by the thought.

Naruto tugged on his underwear and turned to face Sasuke seriously. “This is out of pure, idiotic love, Sasuke.”

Sasuke blinked back at him in surprise.

Naruto waved away the expression. 

“Enough talking, we’ll leave that to tomorrow, okay? My brain needs to rest.”

Naruto had to admit that he felt a bit bad about making Sasuke wait. The guy looked like he was going to explode with all of the things he wanted to say. He watched Naruto climb into bed with one of the most torn and conflicted expressions he had ever seen.

Truthfully, Naruto knew he couldn’t handle the conversation tonight. It had been a long day, and this conversation was going to be something he had waited over six months for. That was too much. All he wanted was _one night_. One night of pretending that things were normal. That things were okay.

Naruto had a feeling that things wouldn’t be okay tomorrow.

“Come on.” Naruto pat the empty space beside him with a playful smile. “Or are you too shy to sleep with me now?”

He just wanted Sasuke to humor him this time, and he knew it was an unfair favor to ask.

“Funny.” Sasuke replied stiffly, but he still climbed into bed to lay beside him. They stared at each other, face-to-face in the dark, without a word.

Naruto cupped Sasuke’s cheek with his hand and gave him a soft smile.

“Try to get some sleep.” With that, Naruto scooted a little closer and closed his eyes.

Despite being in the dark, Sasuke could see the blonde in Naruto’s eyelashes, and he spent the next fifteen minutes counting them until he could fall asleep. It felt like he had to shut down the hundred or so tabs he’d had open in his brain for the past few months, and now he had to try to sleep next to someone who made his entire body feel like it was crackling with electricity.   
Sasuke let his eyes fall shut and tried to drift off to the sound of Naruto’s breathing.

* * *

  
Gunshots echoed behind Sasuke as he ran. For miles, all he could see was the rusted coloring of the tunnel, and the only thing he could smell was the pungent odor of the sewers beneath his feet. He paid no mind to the dirty water splashing up his legs or the shouts that grew louder behind him; his attention was focused on the heavy gun he held tightly in his hands, ready to be raised at any moment. His lungs burned for more oxygen, and every drawn in breath brought that strong, copper taste in his mouth.

He had to run faster.

As he picked up the pace, Sasuke realized that the water beneath his feet grew deeper, and the voices behind him shifted to muted silence as he was plunged into the dark, icy water. 

Darkness and suffocating silence.

It was that feeling that seemed like it would last forever; floating in nothingness, unaware of what was happening or who you were. Who knows how many hours or days passed like this?

_“Sasuke, you’ve always been my favorite…”_

The familiar voice sounded so far away. It was warped, like most of the sounds Sasuke managed to pick up underwater, but it made his stomach clench in fear.

Another voice drifted into his consciousness.

_“What are you doing to my brother?!”_

_“His memory is too inconvenient…”_ the voice continued, but Sasuke couldn’t understand most of it, “ _…not obedient with them…”_

Suddenly, a bright blue light shone through and lit up everything around him. Sasuke blinked as his eyes adjusted to the new light, and he found himself staring at another young boy.

In a tall round tank, identical to the one Sasuke was trapped in, a young boy with white hair stared back at him. Slowly, they waved to one another.

Sasuke remembered this boy. He saw him every day from across the room, and it almost felt like they were friends. They had never had a conversation. Sasuke didn’t even know his name or what his voice sounded like.

In a flash of darkness, the boy vanished from the tank, leaving Sasuke alone.

The ominous sound of footsteps echoed throughout the room and Sasuke turned to watch a figure enter. A person who seemed neither young nor old, one who had an appearance neither masculine nor feminine. A walking mystery and Sasuke’s biggest fear.

They approached the tank and splayed their palm against the glass, looking up to admire Sasuke’s body.

Despite being fully naked in the tank, Sasuke felt little discomfort at being stared at, but more unsettled by the look in his admirer’s eyes.

_“Your body is my greatest desire Sasuke…and you will give it to me.”_

They stared at one another for a few moments, and their wide, sickening smile made Sasuke flinch.

Plunged back into darkness, Sasuke blinked awake as he felt his body move into survival mode. He leapt over a desk to bypass a man in round glasses. He barely processed the pain of the knife cutting into his side as he dashed down the countless tunnels in the facility. Each tunnel looked the same, with flashing green lights and the same dirty water smell.

He was afraid.

Where was he going? Where could he even go?

He wanted to get out. He didn’t know why.

Who was he running from?

Sasuke stumbled out of the cave and took off into the night air as fast as his legs could carry him. The world whirled by in white; white that fell from the sky and covered everything in sight. As Sasuke slowed down, he passed through the trees and let out an annoyed huff.

It was cold.

Really fucking cold.

He bent down to pick at it with his hands. Was this snow? He had never seen it before, or at least, he didn’t remember seeing it. It left his fingers numb, but slowly melted in the palm of his hand.

Lights raced by on the road just ahead of him, and Sasuke ducked further into the trees to avoid them. They moved too quickly; they weren’t to be trusted.

As Sasuke drifted in between the trees, a certain voice called out. Immediately, Sasuke fell back again, ducking behind a tree. The voice moved closer, and Sasuke peeked to see a man in orange approaching him.

_I have to kill him_.

Sasuke flexed his muscles and braced himself to attack. He stared at the man’s jugular and wondered if he would be able to end it all in a swift strike.

He needed to get away.

Sasuke jumped when he felt something sliding up his bare leg. He tore his eyes off the approaching blonde man and instead stared down in horror. A thin white snake, camouflaged in the snow, coiled its way up Sasuke’s thigh and stared at him with piercing yellow eyes.

_They found me_.

The snake shot forward, fangs bared, leaving Sasuke no time to defend himself.

* * *

Sasuke jolted awake, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He grabbed a fistful of the sheets and dropped his head as he waited for the tremors to stop. After a few minutes, he glanced over to see Naruto blissfully asleep next to him. Somehow, watching the blonde sleep made him feel better.

Ignoring the constant throbbing in his neck, Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto until he could lay down again. Nightmares like these came more often than they used to, and they terrified him because they came from his memories. Memories belonging to a past that was dark, twisted, and stained with blood.

Sasuke wondered if Naruto, someone who looked at him with such kind eyes, could ever accept him if he knew the truth. What if his past changed everything? What if Naruto changed his mind and kicked him out?

As he stared at Naruto, he wondered if he had made a huge mistake. Maybe he should not have come back. He was being selfish, coming back and begging Naruto to forgive him, and he knew that. The hard truth was that he needed Naruto more than he had ever needed anyone in his entire life. His presence alone was everything Sasuke needed.

He wanted to believe that this wasn’t a mistake. Naruto wasn’t someone he could just let go of; his headlights were the only ones that had stopped for him that night. That had to mean something, right?

Naruto was the one who saved his life. There was no doubt Sasuke would have frozen to death that night, and at the time Sasuke was fully prepared to face that fate. Anything would have been better than where he came from, and yet Naruto took him home and gave him a warm place to stay. He wrapped Sasuke in kindness and comfort, and Sasuke didn’t want to stay. That comfort bothered him. It felt unnatural and fake, and now it was the only thing that kept Sasuke going. 

Now, Sasuke wanted to stay, from the bottom of his heart. He prayed that Naruto would forgive him and want him to stay too. That maybe, through everything, they could still be together.

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut again and burrowed in Naruto’s chest, hoping he could at least spend the rest of the night without any more dreams. 

* * *

  
Naruto blinked awake to what felt like a dream. The early sunlight filtered through his blinds and landed on Sasuke’s bare skin so that it almost looked like he was glowing. No one should be that breathtakingly beautiful this early in the morning.

He watched Sasuke’s body rise and fall as he slept, and Naruto fought the urge to reach out and touch him. He wanted to stroke his fingers across his smooth cheeks and kiss him on the forehead, but he knew Sasuke would wake up.

_Maybe I should let him sleep_ —

As soon as the thought came to mind, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes to see Naruto watching him. For a few seconds, they simply stared at each other in relaxed silence.

Naruto hesitantly scooted closer until they lay nose to nose in bed. He felt like he couldn’t bear to be too far away from Sasuke; as if the guy would just vanish into thin air if he wasn’t careful. Both he and Sasuke broke that small distance to press their lips together, and the second their lips met, something crackled through Naruto’s bloodstream. It spread from his mouth, to this chest, and then all the way down to his toes, and it was so fucking _nostalgic_. It brought him back to that night when the lights were too bright, and the music got a little too loud; the feeling of the bass and Sasuke’s heart pounding through his chest as they danced in the dark.

Like then, Sasuke’s heartbeat pounded against Naruto’s. It was so sure and steady, yet it raced as if it didn’t have enough time to beat. It made Naruto wonder if it was excitement or fear that made it thunder around in his chest like that.

As Naruto had thought, his emotions were just as overwhelming today as they were when he first saw Sasuke’s face last night. As if a handful of hours could dull the way Sasuke made his brain shift into overdrive just by making eye-contact with him. He had it bad. Really bad.

At least he knew that his emotions weren’t a fluke. He wasn’t feeling this just because Sasuke was here now, since he remembered how he ached for him for what felt like forever now. That forever seemed to hold less importance to him; Naruto instead obsessed over the way Sasuke responded to him, and it fueled his intense fantasy that maybe Sasuke felt the same way about him almost as much as he did.

“Mmph!” Sasuke mumbled against Naruto’s mouth. Naruto slipped in his tongue for a quick tease, humoring how Sasuke’s eyes squeezed shut, before he pulled back. Sasuke huffed as he tried to catch his breath, an annoyed gaze locked onto Naruto.

“Yes?” Naruto smirked, mostly teasing.

“…we need to talk.” Sasuke said quietly. He slowly sat up and cast his gaze down. “Can we talk now?”

Naruto took a deep breath as though to steel his nerves. He owed Sasuke at least this much; whatever it was, he could handle it. He would handle it.

Naruto nodded.

Sasuke scratched the back of his head and scowled. He didn’t seem to know where to begin, and Naruto couldn’t say he was surprised.

“Let me start then.” Naruto crossed his legs and turned to face Sasuke fully. “So, when I first saw you, you were naked and in the snow with a knife wound in your side. Explain that.”

“I…” Sasuke picked at Naruto’s sheets in what Naruto assumed was discomfort. “I broke out of a facility not far from where we met.”

“A facility?” Naruto rocked back a bit and held his breath. “Like an insane asylum, Sasuke?”

“No.” Sasuke quipped back in annoyance, but his expression quickly softened. “Like a human experimentation facility, I think.”

“You think.” Naruto deadpanned.

“There was this person. I didn’t know their name for a while, but I had to refer to them as Mother.” Sasuke scowled. “They were terminally ill and wanted to see if human consciousness could be transplanted into the perfect human body. I was one of their tests, but I broke out.”

Naruto could feel a migraine coming on. His brain tried to connect the dots on their own and ignore the obviously ridiculous situation Sasuke presented to him. Even if it were true…there were worse things…right?

“You don’t believe me.” Sasuke sighed. “I know, it sounds stupid.”

Sasuke pointed to the small black mark on his neck. Naruto remembered how Sasuke had reacted when he touched it, but he had thought it was all in his head.

“This mark…it burns like crazy sometimes, especially when I remember something I’d forgotten.”

“So they like, what? Erased your memories? Do you remember your family, or where you were from before this facility?”

Sasuke shook his head. 

“They’ve wiped my memories so many times, it feels like I’ve lived over twenty different lives. I didn’t even remember that I had a brother or that he was there with me in the facility.”

“Woah, back up.” Naruto leaned closer. “You have a brother?! Where is he now?!”

“The President of Uchiha Enterprises.” Sasuke gave him a half-hearted smile. “How else do you think I’d get into a big company like that?”

Naruto narrowed his eyes. “So…your family just gave you and your brother a place at the company? After letting you get kidnapped?”

“My family believed we were dead for years.”

“Your parents didn’t look for you?”

Sasuke frowned. “They were already gone.”

“That’s fucked up.” Naruto stood up and paced his room. “Okay. Okay…so you escape, but why were you naked?”

“Why do you think I was?”

Naruto blinked, nearly a hundred different assumptions flickered through his mind and he hated every single one of them. “What…? I mean, that’s what I’d like to know?”

“I escaped during one of my modifications. They dunk you in this massive tank of liquid and—”

“Oh my God.” Naruto dropped his head into his hands, not wanting to hear the rest. “We’re taking you to a doctor. A real one, okay? I’m serious.”

Sasuke blinked back at him. “But I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.” Naruto moaned. “Do you have all of your memories back? That’s a shit ton of trauma going on in your head right now!”

“Not all of them, but the facility has been destroyed and I don’t think there’s anything I want to remember anyway…” Sasuke fell silent as he looked at Naruto. “You’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would.”

Naruto shook his head and let out a disbelieving sigh. Honestly, what could he even do at this point? As crazy as Sasuke’s story was, it made some kind of sense. A boy dashes out of a shady experiment, gets attacked when he tries to leave, and somehow has no memories…

Would the insane asylum story have settled better with him? 

“Sasuke, I would still accept you no matter what story you told me.” Naruto finally admitted. “I’m just upset that you vanished without saying anything. You left me with no way to reach you, no way to know that you were safe or alive, or whatever, and that…that really fucked me up.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” The pained look on Sasuke’s face convinced Naruto that he meant it. “I really believed that I was a burden to you, so I wanted to go and figure out my own shit without dragging you into it any more than I already had. I never thought that I would even be in that kind of situation yet alone get attached—”

Sasuke broke off with a scowl. 

“I really care about you, and I didn’t want to hurt you. That didn’t work though.” Sasuke shook his head sadly. “Look, I’m not good with social situations okay? I should have told you, or maybe I shouldn’t have even left. I should have said _something_ because you didn’t deserve to be left in the dark like that and I am really, really sorry—”

As Sasuke began to break into tears, Naruto dashed over to crush him to his chest.

“I didn’t want to go.” Sasuke sobbed against him. “I wanted to stay, but I couldn’t.”

“I know.” Naruto murmured.

“I wanted to stay with you forever.”

“I know.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“I forgive you.” Naruto stroked Sasuke’s back. As he held Sasuke in his arms, a rueful expression formed on his face. “I hope you know that now that you’re back, you can’t leave again.”

“That’s fine by me.”

“I mean it. You’re going to be my hostage.”

Sasuke let out a quiet laugh against his chest. “A mutual hostage?”

“Yeah.”

“Naruto…” Sasuke shook his head, hiding his expression. “I’ve…killed people. I’ve done horrible, horrible things. I’m probably a monster. I don’t deserve this. I never deserved to be with you.”

“Don’t talk like that Sasuke. You were being forced to do those things, weren’t you? That’s not your fault.”

“I still killed those people. That doesn’t change.”

“Right, but what changes is from here on out, right? We’ll get through this together, okay?” Naruto pulled back to give Sasuke a determined look. “No matter what.”

Sasuke seemed surprised by his response. 

“Of course you would say that.” Sasuke muttered in disbelief, but Naruto could see the smile on his face. “You…you’re really something.”

Naruto kissed him on the cheek before standing up again.

“Are you satisfied with this ‘talk’? I’m going to go make us breakfast.”

“I’m satisfied.” Sasuke replied. He took a quick look around the bedroom before tossing off his blanket and followed Naruto out the door. “I’m coming to help. You always burn the eggs when you cook them.”

“Sasuke, give me a break, I’ve had six months to get better.”

“You aren’t fooling anyone.”

Naruto bumped Sasuke on the shoulder as they went down the hall.

“See? You remember everything else just fine.”

With a slow, side-long gaze, Sasuke gave Naruto one of the most serious looks he had ever given him.

“I could never forget anything about you.”

Naruto paused in the middle of the hall, mouth agape as Sasuke kept walking. This was real, right? There was no way his heart could feel like this any other way. There was no way he could be this lucky.

This year had brought him through some ups and downs he never thought he’d experience. He never thought one of his decisions would change his life like this.

Well, he couldn’t exactly call it a decision.

And yet, his world had shifted fundamentally when he fell in love with a stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did while I edited it! Hope you all are doing well out there, and maybe we’ll have more chapters out soon!
> 
> ^^^
> 
> OOF. What a rough chapter to write. Are you confused yet? Smell some plotholes? Maybe we have to go and see what Sasuke's been doing these last six months...
> 
> Until next time!


	3. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a bittersweet night, Sasuke follows his path and tries to discover the truth about himself. Although resolved to see it through until the end, Sasuke begins to realize that there really is only one place he feels like he belongs...
> 
> Note: This chapter takes place between chapters 1 and 2

_“I’m going to miss you when you leave Sasuke…know that, okay?”_

Sasuke adjusted the strap on the backpack slung across his shoulders and lowered his head. He focused on taking quick and steady steps ahead and tried not to give in to the overwhelming urge he began to feel to turn back. 

He had a few hours before the sun would come up. He didn’t want to take his chances waiting any later to slip out of Naruto’s apartment before he woke up. He had to do it when he had the chance, and that chance had finally come. And yet, Sasuke hesitated.

Lying beside Naruto while the world seemed to spin in every possible direction, buzzing with some invisible energy that left him in a state he’d never be proud to admit; that wasn’t how Sasuke expected his Friday night to end. That wasn’t how he expected his last night with Naruto to end.

“ _Shit._ ” Sasuke hissed as he wiped at his tears furiously with his sleeve. His chest ached, and he couldn’t understand why. These emotions, they weren’t something Sasuke could easily understand or even control; he didn’t know when they started getting complicated and he didn’t know when he stopped wanting to punch Naruto in the face and instead wanted Naruto to fuck him over the counter.

It didn’t make sense. It was stupid.

It was painful.

Sasuke hadn’t expected his decision to hurt so much. His initial plan had always been to leave as soon as he could, and yet when his moment finally came, he could barely muster the strength to do so. He couldn’t turn back; he needed to get as far as he could and leave Naruto out of his mess. It had nothing to do with him, and Sasuke would be damned if the idiot got hurt because of him.

_He’s going to hate me_. 

Sasuke frowned as the thought crossed his mind. It was better than Naruto getting involved in his shit. If this is what it took for Naruto to be safe and sound in his own little world, Sasuke would accept it. Or so he wanted to believe.

Sasuke stopped in the center of the sidewalk when he noticed his clumsy steps and tried to gather himself. He was by no means sober, and he prayed it wasn’t obvious to anyone who may have seen him.

He only had one destination in mind, and unfortunately, it was a long trek on foot. Luckily, the weather was fair tonight and it didn’t seem like there was a cloud in the sky. Sasuke wished he could at least see the stars; that was something he never thought he would be so fascinated by, and yet, spending most of his life underground made him realize how much he had actually yearned to see the sky.

An entire world existed above him, and he had never remembered it.

Bits of memories remained scattered in his mind while some floated around as clear as day. Memories so clear Sasuke couldn’t understand how he had forgotten them. Sasuke still struggled with connecting them, and realized it wasn’t his fault, but a result of the constant experiments he’d been subjected to. He had probably seen the sky so many times in his life, and yet he felt as though his world had abruptly doubled in size. 

Sasuke felt like he needed to sleep for a couple of days. 

Ever since he met up with his brother, he’d been wrestling with what felt like a lifetime of memories that didn’t feel like his own. He had tried to drown them out with alcohol, and luckily, it had worked for most of the night. Instead of trying to piece together his own brain, Sasuke just let himself go with the flow and realized that maybe his relationship with Naruto wasn’t purely what he had thought it was.

It had started as what Sasuke called a pity-party of a relationship and quickly moved into what Sasuke imagined to be friendly coexistence. So, why did Sasuke feel a certain way when Naruto looked at him or when he called his name…

Sasuke shook his head hard, hoping it would dislodge the tangent that started to form in his head. It was too late for that. He had to keep looking forward or he’d lose sight of what was really important. 

He had to go through with what he decided. His feelings, whatever these feelings were, would only become a distraction. 

Sasuke pulled out his cellphone and sent a quick SOS message in the hope that he could at least stop walking. The road seemed to stretch on forever and at this rate, he was never going to make it.

  
As Sasuke’s mind reeled, a sleek black sedan rolled to a stop a few feet ahead of him. As Sasuke approached, a familiar figure leaned out of the driver’s window. The two nodded to one another before Sasuke walked around the hood of the car and dropped into the passenger seat with a heavy, but relieved, sigh.

“Sasuke…are you alright?” Sasuke tried to avoid eye contact and kept his eyes locked on his hands, which he kept fisted in his lap. It was hard to look at this man because no matter how much he questioned things, he couldn’t deny that this was his brother. Their similarities were so uncanny, even Sasuke was shocked when they had first met. Although his brother was a bit older and had longer hair, they both had the same fair skin and piercing dark eyes.

Eyes that Sasuke couldn’t bear looking at.

“I’m fine.” Sasuke grit out. He feared that speaking about what happened would make him emotional, and he did not want that right now.

His brother Itachi hummed in what sounded like disbelief. They drove a block or two before he spoke again.

“You’ve been drinking.”

It wasn’t a question, but it didn’t sound like an accusation either. 

Sasuke directed his attention out the window in annoyance. “And?”

“And…I’m just worried, that’s all.”

“Worried?” Sasuke scoffed. “Why would you be worried, you barely know me. We’re practically strangers.”

“No Sasuke, _you_ barely know me.” Itachi replied quietly. Sasuke frowned when he felt the pinpricks of guilt but still refused to look back. “Drinking might be a little detrimental to your condition, don’t you think?”

“It’s not like I do it often.”

“If that’s the case, then fine.”

Sasuke bit back another bitter remark when he noticed the tall glittering building ahead. It towered over everything in sight, and Sasuke had to squint from all the light it emitted in the otherwise dark and sleeping city. Uchiha Enterprises, huh. What a joke.

They drove through the parking garage, the soft engine purring as they wound their way up towards the top “employee only” section. Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes when he saw that Itachi had a CEO sanctioned spot that commanded most of the upper level alongside his own personal elevator. 

“You’ll be staying with me on the top floor.” Itachi gestured for Sasuke to follow him to the large silver doors. Sasuke shut the car door and hesitated. There wasn’t any going back now. It felt like this was the moment when everything would change. Sasuke wanted to believe that his choice had been final once he left Naruto’s apartment, but deep down he knew he’d always have the chance to turn back around. Once he walked into this building, he couldn’t do that anymore. Once Naruto realized he was gone…there wasn’t any recovering from that.

Itachi turned around when he noticed that Sasuke hadn’t moved. He cocked his head to the side in curiosity but didn’t say a word.

As if to force the resolve into his body, Sasuke took a deep breath, readjusted his backpack, and strode to the elevator with his brother with the best neutral expression he could muster. The two stepped inside and Itachi pushed the button for the fifty-seventh floor before leaning against the wall to look Sasuke over.

“We have many things to discuss, but for the meantime I want to focus on your health. Rest as long as you need and we will continue from there, understood?”

“Yeah.” Sasuke had no problem agreeing to that. He too leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, listening to the soft pinging the elevator made as it ascended to the top floor. He peeled them open again once he heard the doors open and followed Itachi down the marbled hallway to the large door Sasuke knew was the penthouse suite. 

_It must be nice to be living large like this_.

Sasuke found himself too exhausted and upset to even take in the fancy place his brother lived in. His body moved in what seemed like a single, linear direction to his bedroom without processing anything else. He didn’t even hear what his brother said to him, if he had said anything at all, and dropped onto his bed fully clothed. 

Itachi peeked into the room and sighed when he realized that his baby brother had knocked out just like that.

“At least take off your backpack, Sasuke.” Itachi couldn’t help but smile in endearment as he carefully lifted Sasuke’s arms out from the straps. He doubted the boy would even wake up if he shook him, but he couldn’t be too sure. He took off Sasuke’s shoes while he was at it and left the bedroom door cracked, leaving to return to his own room and prepare for what was to come next.

* * *

  
When Sasuke awoke, he learned that two days had passed.

“You let me sleep for two days?!” Sasuke asked in disbelief. 

“You were exhausted enough to sleep for over forty-eight hours Sasuke, you need to stop pushing yourself so much.” Itachi barely glanced at him as he scrolled through the news on his tablet. He had finished his breakfast when Sasuke finally emerged from his room fully showered and dressed, oblivious to how time had passed.

  
Sasuke instead focused on what was on the kitchen table.

“Who the hell eats cake for breakfast? Don’t you have cereal or something?”

“I’m an adult and I can eat what I want.” Itachi replied. “There are bagels over there and the fridge is fully stocked. Cereal is in the cabinet.”

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief and went to the fridge to grab a carton of milk. The amount of sugar this guy seemed to consume already made Sasuke’s head hurt.

“And I thought Naruto was the only one with bad taste…” Sasuke muttered under his breath as he reached for the cereal. A sharp pain in his chest took him off guard and he clumsily dropped the box onto the counter. Sasuke stared at it in a mixture of confusion and annoyance; that idiot’s name seemed to be the only thing that bounced around in his head, and now it left him feeling empty. 

“Is everything alright?” Itachi asked.

“Yeah…” Sasuke picked up the box again and poured himself a bowl. He sat across from Itachi and poked at his cereal, refusing to acknowledge that his appetite had vanished as quickly as it had come.

“You have a lot of catching up to do.” Itachi murmured, his attention still fully invested in whatever was on his screen. “You have to eat properly as well.”

“Okay, _mom_.” Sasuke huffed grumpily and shoved a spoonful in his mouth.

Itachi raised an eyebrow humorously before setting down his tablet and directing his gaze to Sasuke.

“Are you fully prepared to take this on, Sasuke?”

Sasuke looked up from his cereal and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It seems like you have some reservations.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Maybe you don’t realize that you do.” Itachi smiled.

Sasuke stiffened. “I don’t.”

“Then we will proceed as planned. There’s someone we’re scheduled to meet soon, will you be ready?”  
He nodded and finished his cereal while Itachi made a few phone calls in the living room. Sasuke took this as his opportunity to snoop around the penthouse and see exactly what kind of place he’d be living in. 

The first thing he noticed were the freakishly high ceilings. There could easily be a second level, but the open layout certainly made the place feel twice as spacious then it was. Large white pillars accentuated the otherwise sharp corners, and his brother seemed to be a minimalist when it came to decorations. All of the furniture was brand new and the appliances looked as though they’d never been used. Sasuke had grown used to the rusted toaster Naruto refused to replace and the couch that looked like it had survived two world wars before landing itself in Naruto’s living room. While Itachi’s place had no scent whatsoever, there was always something in Naruto’s apartment that either smelt really good or God-awful funky. There was never an in-between.

Sasuke caught himself thinking about Naruto again and sighed. He had to get out of the habit or things were really going to be difficult. Clearly his brother was catching on to him. He couldn’t make it seem like he had any reservations from this point forward if he wanted to figure out who the hell he was. What kind of life had he been living?

“Let’s go.” Itachi paused in the hallway to check his appearance in the mirror. He gave Sasuke a small smile before opening the door. Sasuke pretended to not see it.

“Be on your best behavior, little brother.”

* * *

  
The two brothers stood side by side wearing matching expressions of annoyance. 

“He’s late.” Itachi sighed. “As usual.”

Sasuke cast his brother a sidelong glance before pushing off the wall they leaned against and started pacing the abandoned apartment. They’d been waiting at least a half-hour, and Sasuke didn’t even know who they were supposed to be meeting.

“Think your car will still be out there when we leave?”

Itachi chuckled. “It’s an Audi, Sasuke, not a Porsche.” 

Sasuke’s face contorted in confusion. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

Itachi blinked back at him speechless. It was the first time Sasuke had seen his brother at a loss for words. He couldn’t help but smirk at that.

“I’ve been underground my whole life, and you expect me to know cars?”

“The car will be fine, Sasuke.” Itachi replied.

The front door suddenly unlocked before swinging open to reveal a tall man with snow-white hair. He appeared to be no older than Sasuke, and his wide shark-toothed grin would have made them think he hadn’t been keeping them waiting.

“Suigetsu. How many times do I have to ask you to be on time?” Itachi sounded more tired than angry. Suigetsu scratched the back of his head sheepishly and held up a tray of drinks.

“I know, I’m sorry! But look! I brought coffee, or in your case Itachi, I brought you a frap. I know they’re your favorite!”

Sasuke noticed his brother’s face twitch when it tried to maintain its annoyed expression. He took the drink and immediately took a sip.

“I’ll forgive it this time.” He nodded in satisfaction.

“I got you a black coffee Sasuke, since you seem like the type.” Suigetsu handed Sasuke his drink and gave another smile. “Heh…crazy seeing you again, do you remember me?”

Sasuke had barely been able to take his eyes off Suigetsu since he walked into the room. The mark on his neck throbbed as Sasuke’s mind reeled backwards to place where he had seen this guy before. His mind flashed back to the time he spent in the holding pods, suspended in fluid, and the young boy that had been across from him. Surely, the two had the same white hair and sharp lavender eyes, but Sasuke couldn’t remember his face. It had to be the same person.

“I think so.” Sasuke replied. “You were in the tank across from me for a while.”

“Yup!” Suigetsu took a sip of his drink and sighed happily. “Aw it almost melts my heart to think that you remember me better than Itachi.”

“Watch yourself.” Itachi warned, his tone immediately turning acidic.

“I’m joking!” Suigetsu recoiled and his expression turned serious. “For a while, Orochimaru was trying to decide between me and you for their next host. While you took to the experiments pretty well, I on the other hand,” Suigetsu’s hand strayed up to pull at a few strands of his hair and gestured to his eyes, “started to mutate and basically got booted to one of their errand dogs. Much like your brother.”

Sasuke’s eyes widened in surprise and he turned to look at Itachi.

“You were an experiment too?”

“Of course.” Itachi sighed. “But unlike you, I fell ill quite often and wasn’t strong enough to go through a lot of the testing. The last thing Orochimaru wanted was a sickly body, so they turned their attention to you. Suigetsu, we’re getting off track, we need to explain this properly.”

“Right, right.” Suigetsu crossed his arms and took a few sips of his coffee. “Well I guess we can start with this safehouse yeah? Sasuke, clearly you remembered it because you found Itachi’s note and contacted him.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, this is one of the apartments Orochimaru had secured for us to use while we were out and about doing business for them. Making deals in their place, picking up packages, you know, grunt work.” Suigetsu scratched at his cheek and looked at Itachi.

“I left the backpack here in a gamble that you’d come back.” Itachi spoke up, and to Sasuke’s shock, Itachi had finished his drink in record time. “Of course, I wasn’t sure how much you’d remember, but there were occasions where I would take you with me on these excursions. We’ve spent a good deal of time here with Suigetsu.”

Sasuke looked between them with a scowl. He was starting to get sick of not remembering the things he felt like he should know.

“I left you money for obvious reasons, my contact information, and a gun to protect yourself in case Orochimaru’s assistant Kabuto came after you. You know how to use a gun, that is muscle memory, but I still wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“Which is why he hired me to tail you.” Suigetsu pointed to himself proudly. “I followed you and the blonde guy all over the place. For a while, I really thought you were just going to stay with him!”

It took all Sasuke had to not turn red at Suigetsu’s words.

“You…were following me? For how long?!” Sasuke demanded.

“Let’s see…I first spotted you in town with that guy and it looked like he was giving you a tour judging by the way you guys were just driving around. That’s when I saw you come to this apartment.” Suigetsu nodded to himself. “Yeah, and ever since then.”

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek when Suigetsu gave him a devious smile.

“Even on the night you left, I was at that club. So much fun!! Right Sasuke?”

Sasuke wanted to jump out the window. Anything to get away from Suigetsu’s piercing gaze. It was so fucking embarrassing, and Sasuke was terrified to know if his brother knew anything about it. It didn’t seem like he did, as Itachi narrowed his eyes at Suigetsu before looking at Sasuke in suspicion. 

“In any case…are we heading over to the facility now Itachi?” Suigetsu, thankfully, switched back to their main subject. Sasuke tried to steel his expression back into place before the attention was directed back to him. How much had this Suigetsu guy seen? He prayed he didn’t have a way to look into Naruto’s apartment while they were at home.

Even so, it wasn’t like he and Naruto had been doing anything. Aside from that night, they hadn’t done anything. Still, why did he feel so unsettled by the thought of being watched?

“Sasuke, we’re going to take you back to the facility we broke out from. It’s abandoned now, but there were still a lot of things Orochimaru had to leave behind, and I think that might help with your memory.” Suigetsu pointed to the door. “I’ll meet you guys out front.”

With that, Suigetsu left first, closing the door behind him.

“How are you doing? It’s a lot of information to process at once.” Itachi made no move towards the door. He kept his concerned gaze on Sasuke, and it only succeeded in pissing him off.

“I’m fine, I’m not a child.” Sasuke snapped back.

“I know you aren’t.” Itachi replied. It seemed no matter how rude Sasuke’s responses were, he always gave a calm and patient reply. Sasuke didn’t know if it was his personality or just a method to annoy him.

“As Suigetsu mentioned, I also noticed that you seemed to take a liking to the man you were staying with. His name is Naruto, am I right?”

“Don’t.” Sasuke gritted out. His name alone made it feel like his insides were twisting into a knot, and the last thing he wanted was for Naruto to end up on Itachi’s radar. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, we have to. You stayed with him for nearly four months, Sasuke. I have to extend my thanks for taking you in, and I’m curious as to what type of person—”

“Itachi.” Sasuke kept his words resolute. “We aren’t talking about this and you will not contact Naruto, do you understand?”

Itachi met his stare with one of equal intensity. Despite the tension between them, Itachi broke into a smile.

“Oh, I think I understand perfectly.”

* * *

Sasuke remained silent in the backseat as the group drove through the city. They followed the winding roads out towards the denser parts of the forest, where the tall concrete buildings were quickly replaced by towering pine and oak trees.

Although it begged to tug at Sasuke’s memory, he struggled to remember that blurry night. He had spent most of his time trying not to pass out in Naruto’s car as he felt the adrenaline dying out and the overwhelming pain in his side that he had all but forgotten about. He thought that he was going to die. Had he only escaped to get taken by someone else? And then he passed out in their car? What if Naruto had been a predator or just downright crazy?

Sasuke shook his head. 

The guy was just an idiot. A kind-hearted, honest, and straight-forward idiot. There wasn’t any other person in the world that would have stopped for him. There wasn’t anyone who would’ve given a naked stranger their coat after being attacked by them and then invite them into their car.

“Look familiar Sasuke?” 

Sasuke blinked at Suigetsu’s question. He realized he had completely zoned out, but it didn’t seem like it mattered for all he saw were trees and more winding road. Now, the forest was a vibrant green rather than snow white, and it seemed like a completely different place.

“Not really.” He admitted just as Itachi turned onto a dirt path. He drove a few feet before parking.

“A bit of a walk from here, but we’re going up near those mountains.” Itachi pointed off to the distance, but Sasuke couldn’t see anything. He figured it wouldn’t be much of a hidden facility if it were sitting in plain sight.

The three walked through foliage as the path came to a sudden end and they made most of the trek uphill until the trees gave way to rock cliffs that stretched as far as Sasuke could see. A small indent in the rocks caught his eye, and sure enough they moved close enough to see that it was in fact a passageway that led inside.

Itachi and Suigetsu took the lead while Sasuke fell back, his pace slowing as he felt his neck begin to hurt. He pressed his hand against it, wondering if the searing heat was real or just in his head.

The spot ached too much for Sasuke to tell, and as he slipped between the rocks to follow his brother, Sasuke groaned when a massive wave of pain slammed through his skull. He caught himself on the wet rock wall, gasping as he felt like his skull was tearing apart. Scattered images flashed behind his eyes, but it all disappeared before Sasuke could understand what they were. The pain quickly began to subside, retreating back to his neck to become a firm, but tolerable, throbbing sensation. 

Sasuke stared down at the murky water at his feet in confusion. The pain had come and gone so quickly, he almost wondered if it were real. It seemed to be, for Itachi was running back to his side with one of the most concerned faces he’d ever seen on him.

“Are you alright?” His hands gripped Sasuke’s arms and he gave Suigetsu a concerned look. “Maybe this should wait for another day. We don’t know what this may do to his memory.”

“I’m fine Itachi. It was just a sudden pain.” Sasuke waved off the concern and started again, descending down the narrow tunnel. “This means that it’s working. I might get my memory back here.”

Sasuke certainly remembered the stench that came through these tunnels. The old and dirty water at his feet and the dripping from the top of the cavern felt oddly familiar to him as they advanced through the dark. Suigetsu handed Sasuke a heavy flashlight as they went deeper, and the dead quiet began to put him on edge.

As if guided by some invisible compass, Sasuke took a right turn when the path split into two, but neither Suigetsu nor Itachi tried to stop him. The path opened into a large room that looked like it had been a classroom of some sorts. Sasuke noticed an old blackboard, now covered in moss or mold, and some overturned desks near the back.

“What is this place?” Sasuke asked.

“It was our classroom.” Suigetsu came to stand by Sasuke’s side. “We were actually pretty good friends. At least, I considered us friends, but I never knew what was going on in that head of yours.” Suigetsu chuckled.

“You helped me with my assignments though and we sat next to each other near the front over there.” Suigetsu pointed to a spot where one desk still remained in place. “Oddly enough, we spent most of our time in class or fucking around. We were in the lab every now and then, but Kabuto always said he wanted us to have ‘a regular childhood’. What kind of sick joke is that?”

Sasuke stared at the old classroom and frowned when he failed to recollect any of his time there. It seemed like the lab dominated his memory as though he had spent his entire life submerged in a tank. If what Suigetsu said was true, that meant Sasuke was missing a majority of his memories and he couldn’t understand why.

Sasuke turned around, passing Suigetsu and his brother to go down the other path. He could feel his patience wearing thin, and he was starting to get desperate to remember something that could ease the unrest that was starting to build. Who was he without his memories? If this didn’t work, Sasuke didn’t have any other options.

Something in his gut made him pass the first few tunnels to his right, and he instead followed the larger one until it opened up to an expansive space. White paint, which had now come close to fully faded, outlined boundaries to make it look like some sort of arena. Sasuke walked up the center of the traced circle and looked around, wincing as the pain in his neck started to flare up again.

“This…” Itachi took a few steps into the space before pausing. He scowled at the ceiling before meeting Sasuke’s confused gaze. “I hate this place. This is the colosseum.” 

“May the best experiment win!” Suigetsu shouted, his voice echoing against the cave walls. “Orochimaru had his experiments murder each other for sport. His victors got to stay alive and possibly become his new host. That’s how he weeded out the weak ones, and that’s how our numbers began to drop so fast.”

“We…murdered each other?” Sasuke looked down in disbelief. In a quick flash of pain, Sasuke caught an image of his hands stained in blood, and an eerie roar of chanting seemed to drift through the air.

Immediately, Sasuke backed off the marked area in panic.

“We had to. You and I…well we were Orochimaru’s favorite for a reason.” Suigetsu nodded solemnly.

“How many?” Sasuke asked hollowly. 

“I don’t know your count exactly, but you…you were a really good fighter. Unchallenged, actually. I remember when Orochimaru put you against Jugo, and I was sure they were trying to get you killed, but—”

“Suigetsu, enough.” Itachi cut him off suddenly with a stern look.

“Jugo…” Sasuke repeated. The name sounded so familiar, and yet—

“He was like the rabid dog of experiments. Pretty sure he was only created to cause chaos and shit, but the guy could be funny.”

Sasuke took note of the past tense. He looked at Suigetsu and Itachi in mild terror as reality started to dawn on him.

“I killed him, didn’t I? In this room, with all of those other kids?”

Itachi and Suigetsu hardened their expressions and looked down. They all fell silent, and Itachi took a few steps forward as though he wanted to console Sasuke, but even words seemed to fail him.

Sasuke turned on his heels and all but ran out of the room, following the long and twisting tunnels back to the entrance. Every breath he tried to pull into his body was shallow and rough against his lungs, and he had to stop after a few minutes to try to catch his breath. He wasn’t sure if his head was throbbing or his entire body was, and he could feel his vision fading around the edges as the roaring of his heart filled his ears.

“Sasuke, it’s going to be okay.” Hands touched his back and slowly started to guide his body forward. He felt another set of hands wrap around his body to keep him upright and they began to trudge forward again.

“It’s okay Sasuke, you’re having a panic attack.”

He could barely hear them. It felt like everything in his body had gone numb, and yet they were still trudging forward, inching closer to the light that filtered through the rock ahead.

Sasuke tried to draw in enough air to dispel the sudden woozy feeling he was getting but failed to take anything more productive than a shallow gasp. It felt like his lungs were collapsing. Maybe it was the cave air? Was that why he felt like he was suffocating?

“Itachi, what do we do?” Suigetsu sounded panicked. “This isn’t good!”

“We just need to get out. He needs fresh air.”

Sasuke could swear he heard gunshots behind them. Loud and clear, cracking through the air as they splashed towards the exit. He wanted to scream out, or say something, but another wave of dizziness hit him and left him sinking into darkness.

The last thing he heard was his brother calling his name.

* * *

  
“ _Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!_ ”

Slowly, the roar of the crowd reached Sasuke’s ears and he looked up to see an audience of children packing the far wall of the colosseum. Their chanting voices made the air feel thick with tension, and Sasuke could feel a bead of sweat run down his neck. His bare arms were grimy with blood and dirt, and he could only smile in exhilaration as he turned to face his opponent.

The other boy stood at the opposite end of the arena, flexing as he prepared for the starting signal. He stood much taller than Sasuke and nearly had an extra eighty pounds of muscle to him. It was hard to believe that they were only a year apart.

_Jugo_.

Sasuke met his stare only to be greeted with a feral growl. He had never liked the guy; he seemed to be jacked up on something to make him one of the bodyguards or hunters. If Jugo wasn’t rampaging through the classroom, he was terrorizing the other kids. There was even a rumor that he’d eaten one of them.

Sasuke sighed. No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t going to be a fair fight. The guy fought with brute strength alone, and Sasuke had seen him tear through a cave wall like it was made of sand. Sure, Sasuke had his enhancements, and he knew he had the brains in this setup, but he was starting to find it difficult to maintain his usual air of superiority.

He tightened the grip on his katana, his knuckles turning bone-white against the onyx hilt. What if he lost? Jugo would undoubtfully tear him limb from limb before they stopped the fight. After all, this was an elimination round.

Only one was going to walk away from this fight.

Sasuke took his stance, leveling his katana until it pointed at Jugo’s chest. He could imagine the blade breaking immediately on impact. He hoped he at least had a fighting chance.

“ _On my mark_.” 

Sasuke sucked in a long, calm breath as he steadied his breathing and set his focus onto one singular action. His eyes zeroed in on the pulsing vein bulging at the side of Jugo’s neck.

“ _Go!_ ”

Nearly as fast as lighting, Sasuke lunged forward. Jugo barreled to the side, kicking up dust in the audience in the process, and charged at Sasuke with the momentum of wild animal. Sasuke dodged his attacks with ease, balancing on the balls of his feet as he spun across the arena deflecting Jugo’s attacks.

Slowly, Jugo’s arm began to morph into something that resembled a mutated bear claw. 

Sasuke frowned. It seemed like the rumors of Jugo getting mutant enhancements were true. That meant trouble for him. He needed to end this fight now.

Jugo lunged again, this time a bit faster than before, and Sasuke barely had time to roll to the side as a sweeping hit knocked him back to the other end.

Sasuke quickly rolled to his feet and tried to rub the sand out of his eyes before Jugo could land another attack. He noticed the blood dripping down his cheek but ignored it.

“Sasuke…” Jugo’s eyes widened as he moved closer. “Today’s the day I wipe that stupid smirk off your face.”

“I don’t associate with wild animals.” Sasuke readjusted the sword in his hand and beckoned Jugo forward with the other. “Let’s finish this.”

In a roar of anger, Jugo launched himself into the air. It was a careless mistake, and Sasuke could only blame Jugo’s impatience for bloodshed. Sasuke almost felt sorry for him.

As Jugo came barreling down on him, Sasuke used all the strength he could muster to swing his sword up to sink it into Jugo’s jugular. He took the full weight of Jugo’s body as it slammed against him, knocking them both to the ground with a massive crash.

Sasuke winced as he felt where Jugo’s claws had sunk into his skin and turned away as he felt blood run down his chest. He remained still for a few moments, checking to make sure Jugo was dead before heaving the heavy body off of him and climbed back to his feet.

The crowd erupted in screams of delight and surprise. His name echoed through the cave walls again, followed by round of applause.

Sasuke looked down at his hands. Now that the deed was done, they shook as the adrenaline began to fade. His entire body was now soaked in blood; he could feel the continuous dripping on his face and onto his clothes. He turned to look back at the boy he had just been fighting. 

Alive he had looked so much bigger and threatening. Now, he looked no different than Sasuke and his friends. Helpless and broken, forced to fight for what? 

Sasuke sighed. He’d rather it be Jugo than him. He wasn’t ready to die yet. He wanted to live in the outside world. He wanted to live under the blanket of blue sky and shining stars like any other regular person.

If that meant he had to cut his way to the surface, then so be it.

* * *

  
Sasuke slowly blinked awake, finding himself back in his bed at his brother’s apartment. His head throbbed with every heartbeat, and he groaned as his eyes adjusted to the bright light filtering through the room. It almost felt like a hangover, especially the way his memories seemed to jumble themselves together in his head. The longer he tried to place them, the more they’d retreat to the back of his mind only to be replaced by another.

Sasuke closed his eyes again. Being awake was just exhausting now, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He almost missed the days when he couldn’t sleep. He’d spend hours trying to find a way to recover his memory and pace around Naruto’s apartment as though it would help him think of something. He was sure he drove Naruto insane, considering the guy was a late sleeper, but he had adapted to Sasuke’s sleep schedule and even woke up early on his weekends to help.

A shuffling noise beside his bed made Sasuke open his eyes again. He felt too tired to be alarmed that someone was with him, and his suspicions were only confirmed when he saw his brother’s face looking down at him.

“How are you feeling?” Itachi asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Like shit.” Sasuke muttered.

“I’m sure it all must have been a shock for you. We should have waited until you were better prepared.”

Sasuke slowly tried to sit up, but when a wave of nausea washed over him, he immediately gave up.

“Don’t think any amount of time would’ve helped.” Sasuke sighed. “Now I feel like I’m better off not knowing anything.”

Itachi remained silent for a while. Sasuke could hear pages turning, and he wondered if Itachi was reading a book.

“I broke you out of that facility to try and give you a normal life. One our parents would have wanted for us.” Itachi said quietly. 

“You broke me out?” Sasuke turned his head to look at Itachi in surprise. “How the hell did you manage that?”

“Well it wasn’t exactly easy.” Itachi smiled back. “I spent years earning Orochimaru’s trust, and I proved to be a useful errand boy. Thanks to being on good terms, I was able to spend most of my time watching you and plotted our escape.”

Sasuke hummed in affirmation. He recalled his brother mentioning that he was too weak to fight in the arena, so it made sense that Orochimaru would make him do something else if not get rid of him entirely. Itachi must have been one hell of an errand boy.

“I know those tunnels better than I know anything else. So when Orochimaru started to fall ill, at least in this case it was when things got really bad, I cut the power and evacuated as many allies as I could. One of them set you free, but you were long gone before I could find you. All I could do was clear the path and hope you made it out alive.”

“Wouldn’t it have helped if you told me this plan in advance?” Sasuke asked jokingly. “You know, so I wouldn’t have run out into the snow butt ass naked and confused?”

“I did tell you, Sasuke.” Itachi chuckled softly. “I’m assuming you don’t remember. I knew then that your memory was fragile. You’d forget basic facts sometimes and some days you’d forget who you were…” Itachi stood up and handed Sasuke a small book. It looked brand-new with a nice black leather cover and binding, and Sasuke almost wanted to ask where he got it from.

“I think you should start writing things down until you can remember them clearly on your own. It might help.” Itachi frowned. “Or it might not. Do whatever you need to, but don’t push yourself. I want you to stay with me here for the time being, and I will transition you into the company so you can try to start living a normal life…if only it were that simple, right?”

Sasuke took the book and turned it over in his hands.

“From an underground fight club to a big ass company?” Sasuke scoffed. “How the hell did you become CEO in such a short amount of time anyway?”

“Well…the company was always ours to begin with. Our father started it, and when our parents died things got complicated.”

“I’m used to complicated.”

“Our father’s brother was livid at the decision for the company to be passed down to me and you, so he did everything he could to get us out of the picture so that he could take over the company himself. Orochimaru happened to be a family friend, although I’m sure Father didn’t approve of the way he supported our extended family financially. Our aunt and uncle basically handed us off to Orochimaru for ‘research’ in exchange for his continued support." Itachi made a sour face and hardened his gaze.

"I stole back the documents proving their illicit embezzlement and looked into every other incident I could find to shut down the company from the inside so that I could take it back. To this day I’ve been tracking Orochimaru’s whereabouts so that I can turn him over to the authorities.”

Sasuke frowned. “Going through all that…wouldn’t that ruin the company’s reputation?” 

“Only if that story got out to the public.” Itachi winked at Sasuke before turning to leave. “Please know that I have a wide range of acquaintances, Sasuke.”

Sasuke shuddered at his brother’s remark.

“In other words, ‘don’t cross me’, huh?” Sasuke snickered under his breath once his brother left the room. 

Sasuke flipped through the blank pages of his new book, wondering what the hell his life was going to look like once we wrote everything down in it. If it was anything like his head, it would be a scrambled mess, but his brother seemed to be right about trying to map it all out. 

He reached into his bedside dresser to retrieve a pen and found himself staring at the first page. What should be the first thing he wrote about?

He thought back to his dream about Jugo. No, that wasn’t a dream, but one of the first cohesive memories he’d ever had. Sadly, it wasn’t even a good one. Sasuke doubted he had many good ones anyway.

As he touched the pen to the paper, he realized that he wanted to write about something else. He wanted to write about the stupid blonde-haired guy that took him in and followed him on this wild goose chase of a memory hunt, and how he made Sasuke feel like he could be a whole person despite having no memory at all. He feared that he would forget everything they talked about or what his apartment looked like. What if he forgot Naruto’s face? His name?

What if he forgot the way Naruto made him feel?

Sasuke dropped the book and pen in his lap and pressed his palms against his eyes. He didn’t want to consider that possibility. He didn’t know what he’d do if he had to go the rest of his life with an unreliable memory either. What would be the point of making memories if he had to forget them soon after? It didn’t make sense.

He wanted to go home. Sasuke blinked.

What did home mean? He never really had a home to begin with. If he wanted to consider the stale cave air and dark winding tunnels home, then sure he had a home, but it wasn’t somewhere he’d ever want to go back to.

Naruto’s vocabulary had worn off on him. It was always, “when are you coming home?” or “let’s go home, Sasuke!” and near the end, Sasuke almost started to believe that it was his home too. Now it too had to become a memory at risk of Sasuke forgetting. 

Sasuke could only be glad his brother had left before he could see him in such a pitiful state. It was pathetic, the fact that simply thinking about Naruto left him a wreck, but when he finally let his memories flood back in…it was excruciating.

With a pained sob, Sasuke curled onto his side and buried himself in his sheets, wishing he could hide away from the world. He didn’t know things would be this hard for him, especially thinking that Naruto would probably move on from this if he hadn’t already. The very thought of never seeing Naruto again made him feel miserable, especially after the way things had ended. Naruto had really cared about him, and Sasuke had no choice but to deflect his feelings and leave him behind. He felt like an asshole, and not in a way he usually took pride in.

Instead of running from it, as Sasuke had been since arriving at Itachi’s place, he let himself hurt in hopes that he could at least try to move on from it. No matter how much he cried about wanting to go back, he knew he wouldn’t be able to.

He wanted to at least tell Naruto he was sorry.

Slowly, the pillowcases beneath Sasuke’s head dampened to the point where he tossed the pillows off the bed completely. He had no idea how long he’d slept since they went to the hideout and he didn’t care if he never left this bed again.

Burrowing deeper into his blankets, Sasuke let out a loud, but muffled, sigh of frustration.

* * *

“Until you get a basic understanding of office etiquette, I hope you don’t mind being my personal assistant. You will essentially be executing any tasks I give you, maintaining correspondence, attending meetings with me, and on some occasions doing any odd jobs I don’t have time to take care of myself. You know how I like my coffee and we only order from the vendor on the fourth floor, so make sure you…”

_Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…_

Sasuke tuned out his brother’s rambling as they made their way through the massive office space that made up Uchiha Enterprises. It pained him to think that there were technically six floors to this company, but at least he only needed to know the first three. Itachi had dragged him out of bed at six in the morning for this headache of a grand tour, and now that more people began to populate the office space, Sasuke could feel himself getting nervous.

At twenty-four, people would assume that he was competent in the workplace, when in fact Sasuke didn’t know jack shit from a contract to an invoice. He knew he was smart; top of his class if Orochimaru and Kabuto gave them any sort of legitimate education. He could only help he was as smart as he sounded. 

Itachi, on the other hand, seemed to be overly excited about Sasuke’s first day. He nearly introduced him to every person that walked in the door, and Sasuke could only shake his head at his brother’s obvious endearment with him. It had stopped pissing him off and instead started to make him feel better the past few days. It felt nice to know at least someone in this world gave a shit about him.

“Don’t make me do anything major okay? You know I don’t know what I’m doing.” Sasuke grabbed his brother’s arm as they came to a stop in front of someone’s office. “I’m not good at this kind of thing.” His fear was that his brother was about to drag him into a meeting or some sort of serious conversation with a higher-up. The last thing he needed was to make a fool out of himself on the first day.

“Relax Sasuke, I would never.” Itachi mused. His lighthearted comment only made Sasuke more suspicious. “Look.”

Itachi pointed to the plaque on the office door.

_Sasuke Uchiha_

“You gave me an office?” Sasuke gaped at the plaque before turning to his brother. “Is that okay?”

“We’re still growing as a new company, and we have the space. Plus, I can’t have you hovering around me all day in my office.” Itachi opened the door and gestured for Sasuke to go inside.

“I thought I was your assistant?”

“You are. One of them. I’ll call you when I need something, but for now…” Itachi set down a laptop alongside a pile of files. Sasuke had been wondering what he planned to do with that.

“Go through all my emails from the beginning of the week and organize them for me. I have folders on the left, and you can just drag them as you see fit. Those files, can you scan those to me?” Itachi took in Sasuke’s pained expression. “Do you know how to make scans and copies?”

“No.”

“Do you know how to work a printer?”

“No.”

“What about the laptop?”

“I’ll manage.” Sasuke grit out, taking the laptop from his brother. He walked around the desk at the center of the room and dropped into the chair. His brother watched him get settled with a sympathetic smile.

“You’ll catch on quick. Call me on my extension if you need help, okay? I’ll check back on you after my ten o’clock meeting.”

“Sure.” Sasuke booted up the laptop and frowned at the login screen. “Password?”

“I love Sasuke, no spaces.”

“Please leave.” Sasuke dropped his head to his desk with a groan. “You’re so embarrassing.”

He heard Itachi’s laughter fade and the door clicked shut, finally leaving Sasuke in peace. He glanced up from the table to open his brother’s email and felt his jaw drop open in disbelief.

Almost a thousand emails from just the beginning of this week?! And he had to go through all of them?!

Sasuke closed the laptop again and put his head back down.

Maybe he wasn’t cut out for this “regular life” transition after all.

* * *

  
_Four months later_

  
One day after getting off from work, Sasuke put himself up to a new challenge. He sat in the passenger seat of Itachi’s car, clenching the thick envelope in his hands as if his life depended on it. He and Itachi had decided on at least repaying Naruto for helping out Sasuke, and the only way they knew how to do that was through money.

“Do you think the amount is sufficient?” Itachi asked as they pulled into the lot.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Sasuke stared at the familiar apartment building, fully distracted. He knew Naruto wouldn’t be home from work for another two hours, but he still felt a weird sense of urgency. 

“Make it quick, Sasuke.” Itachi sighed as he put the car in park. “This isn’t a time for a stroll down memory lane.”

“Shut up.” Sasuke muttered as he climbed out of the car. He counted his steps as he walked across the asphalt and paused at the main door, realizing he needed a key to get into the lobby. 

“Shit.” He muttered.

“Forget your key?” A voice piped behind him.

Sasuke froze. It wasn’t Naruto’s voice, but it still managed to scare the shit out of him.

He turned around to see a woman maybe ten years older than him. She gave him a kind smile.

“I recognize you! You and Naruto were staying together, right? I haven’t seen you in a while and started to worry!” the woman moved to open the door and gestured for Sasuke to come in. “I hope things are going alright!”

“Uh, yeah…” Sasuke gave her his best fake smile. “Things are great.”

“That’s good. Naruto is such a good guy, he’s always helping someone or doing something around here. Quite a catch, I’d say.” With a wink, the woman waved goodbye before ascending the stairs, leaving Sasuke at a loss for words.

She thought they were fucking.

“Great.” Sasuke muttered as he walked up to the mailboxes. He should have expected that assumption to be floating around considering their circumstances. As Sasuke slid in the envelope and shut Naruto’s mailbox, he paused in minute horror.

Is that what Itachi thought?

Sasuke stepped back and retreated out of the apartment building before someone else could see him, but he realized he couldn’t exactly make eye contact with his brother.

“Everything okay? Did you know that woman?” Itachi asked as soon as Sasuke settled back in the passenger seat.

“Just a neighbor. She recognized me and let me in.” Sasuke replied and cast his gaze out the window.

“Ah, lucky. Hopefully she won’t say anything to Naruto.” Itachi pulled out of the parking lot and set them back on course towards their apartment. “That could be messy.”

“Itachi.” Sasuke began, unsure if he wanted to continue with the rest of his sentence. “What kind of relationship do you think Naruto and I had?”

“Oh, now you want to know?” Itachi purred. Sasuke dared to peek over his shoulder and caught his brother with one of the most devious smiles he’d ever seen. He immediately regretted saying anything.

“It’s just—”

“I _think_ ,” Itachi abruptly cut Sasuke off, “that you were very close considering the amount of time you spent together. Which then makes me think…” Itachi trailed off, and Sasuke winced as though to brace himself for the impact.

“…that you have some unresolved feelings you need to sort out or you’ll never feel better.” Itachi’s smile slowly retreated, leaving nothing but his usual serious expression. “The longer you wait, the more you’re going to suffer.”

Sasuke stared back at Itachi in disbelief. Those were not the words he was expecting from his brother’s mouth, nor did he think he’d be so observant. He did remember his brother taking notice from the very beginning, but he didn’t want to hear it. Now, it just left him feeling more conflicted.

He didn’t want to admit that his brother was right.

They made the drive back home in reserved silence. Sasuke had decided that he’d spend the rest of his free time adapting to his new life rather than chasing the ghost of his old one. He’d repaid his debt to Naruto, and now the best thing he could do was leave him alone. Maybe, after time, things would hurt a little less.

If only things could be that simple.

* * *

  
_Several weeks later_

Footsteps outside of the bedroom door roused Sasuke from a deep sleep. He blinked in the darkness, failing to make out anything aside from the light filtering underneath his door. He didn’t know what time it was, and he didn’t really care; he closed his eyes again, quickly dozing off back to sleep.

Sasuke felt a hand comb through his hair, pulling it at the roots to smooth it against his scalp. Sasuke sighed in satisfaction at the sensation, letting his head fully rest against it. The mattress beside him dipped as more weight leaned onto it, and Sasuke slowly opened his eyes in mild annoyance. Who the hell was interrupting his sleep?

“You don’t have to wake up.” The voice murmured into his ear. Sasuke immediately turned to the voice, eagerly pulling them close against his body as he fought to stay awake.

“It seems like you want me to wake up.” Sasuke replied with a smile. He started to make out the familiar face in the dark; he ran his hands over smooth cheekbones and stared into the deep and seemingly endless blue abyss of Naruto’s eyes.

“I just missed you, that’s all.” Naruto settled at Sasuke’s side and wrapped an arm around his stomach before leaning in for a kiss. Sasuke met him halfway, tangling his fingers in Naruto’s hair as he molded to the kiss. Electricity crackled through his bloodstream as their lips met, and for a moment Sasuke wondered if it was possible to be this happy. He had wanted this for so long, and now he finally had Naruto with him, in his bed…

Sasuke moaned as Naruto deepened the kiss, using his tongue to skillfully grind against Sasuke’s until it felt like he was melting. Naruto’s hand slid up his shirt, tracing over muscle before moving up to lightly pinch at his nipples. The sharp sensation made Sasuke arch his back in surprise, and he squeezed his eyes shut as Naruto continued to distract him with his kisses.

Soon, that same hand traveled down into Sasuke’s underwear, teasing at his straining erection with slow strokes that left Sasuke writhing in Naruto’s grip.  
Sasuke impatiently pulled down his underwear, eager for the unhindered contact, and moaned into Naruto’s mouth as he sped up the pace.

“That excited, huh?” Naruto chuckled huskily as he thumbed at the head of Sasuke’s dick, spreading precum along his shaft before giving a few firm pumps from head to base. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he felt his hips instinctively buck into his hand, desperate for more. Naruto slowed his pace as he repositioned himself to hover over Sasuke instead, and Sasuke watched in heated curiosity as Naruto shuffled down between his legs to bring Sasuke’s erection to his mouth.

Sasuke couldn’t help but whimper as he watched Naruto lick along his shaft, rolling his balls with one hand while he jerked him off with the other. Sasuke’s head flopped back against the pillows as he tried to hold back the embarrassing sounds that started to leak out as Naruto continued. He tightened his hold in Naruto’s hair as Naruto took him throat-deep, a talented tongue pulsed against his dick and left him gasping under Naruto’s grip.

“Don’t stop.” Sasuke begged as Naruto started to bob his head, sending waves of pleasure coursing through his body until he felt a strong, coiling heat building in his gut. Every movement made it coil tighter, and tighter, until Sasuke thought he was going to burst. He thrust up into Naruto’s mouth, matching his movements desperately as he let that feeling build until he couldn’t take it anymore.

Sasuke arched off the bed again as he came hard down Naruto’s throat. He felt his entire body turn to static as Naruto finished sucking him off, only to pull back and give him a playful smile.

“You came a lot.” Naruto said as he swiped a thumb across his chin and proceeded to suck the residue off.

Sasuke could only smile back, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath and he pushed his wet hair away from his forehead. He felt Naruto spread his legs and a new sensation made him suck in a sharp breath. He looked down to watch Naruto slide two fingers inside of him with a heated expression.

“My turn.” He looked up to give Sasuke a seductive smile that immediately made the blood rush to his groin again. The reaction made Naruto laugh, “that was fast.” 

“Shit.” Sasuke looked up at the ceiling, trying to distract himself from what was coming next. He knew Naruto was on the bigger side, and as much as the thought turned him on…

Sasuke cried out when Naruto pressed against something sensitive. He felt his entire body clench around his finger, and for a moment Sasuke was terrified that he’d come again already.

“There, huh?” Naruto muttered to himself as he thrust hard against it again. Sasuke gasped as the intense pleasure washed over him and threw his arm over his mouth to stop from screaming out again. He felt Naruto’s fingers slide in and out, stretching him out until Sasuke was covered in sweat and panting again. Two firm hands braced either side of Sasuke’s thighs and he felt Naruto lean forward to press against him.

“Sasuke.”

Sasuke peeled open his eyes to meet Naruto’s and realized that he had leaned in for a kiss. Sasuke pushed up on his elbows to press his lips to Naruto’s once more, this time painfully eager for what was coming. He felt his toes curl as Naruto positioned himself and never in his life had he wanted something so _bad_. Sasuke broke the kiss as another moan slipped out, and he all but lost it when Naruto pulled him close, slamming in deep. Before Sasuke could process the sensation, his vision scattered apart and left him alone aside from a lingering voice that was no louder than a whisper.

“ _Please don’t leave me._ ”

Sasuke jolted awake, gripping at his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. He looked around the room furiously only to confirm that he was still alone in his bedroom. The rest of the penthouse was eerily silent, and there wasn’t any light shining underneath his door. Sasuke sighed as he shrugged out of his now sweat-soaked shirt and tossed it aside in annoyance. He certainly couldn’t ignore the wet, sticky sensation in his underwear either. 

He pressed a hand to his forehead before getting out of bed to maneuver through the dark and find a clean pair of underwear. The clock read only three in the morning, but Sasuke didn’t care as he headed off to his adjoining bathroom and hopped in the shower.

Dreams like those came more often than Sasuke cared to admit. It wasn’t like his attraction for Naruto had gotten any stronger, but it certainly didn’t seem to wane over time. It was a feeling Sasuke didn’t understand, especially the consistent and aggressive urge that he felt when he even thought about Naruto these days. It wasn’t like Sasuke had any experience; he had kept mostly to himself for most of his life and he certainly didn’t have any memories of having sex with anyone. He supposed it could be a possibility. That made him frown as he watched the water swirl down the drain.

He wasn’t just craving sex; he was craving Naruto himself. He missed hearing his voice, he missed the way that he looked at him after a long day at work. He missed the feeling that night when Naruto pressed his body against his in the nightclub, his erection tucked tight against Sasuke’s, rubbing every coherent thought out of his mind to the point where Sasuke had been sure he’d come in his pants. It had felt so good and he had been too embarrassed to admit that he wanted more. That if he had a few more shots, he would have torn off his clothes then and there and let Naruto do what he wanted in front of everyone.

It was such an embarrassing feeling.

Sasuke pressed his forehead against the tile wall and closed his eyes, letting the water run over his head in defeat.

No matter how hard he tried, these feelings just wouldn’t go away. Sasuke wasn’t sure if he even wanted them to.

Sasuke finished his shower, dried off, and climbed back into bed dreading when his alarm would go off in the next four hours. He rolled onto his stomach and mumbled a string of expletives into his pillow before falling back asleep.

* * *

“Fortunately, we are entering the final phase of our escape.” Itachi made his way around the room, his eyes touching every person in the room with an equal amount of intensity. The conference room fell deadly silent as all side conversations abruptly stopped at Itachi’s statement. 

Sasuke lazily looked up from his notebook, abandoning the weird scribble he hadn’t realized he’d been working on for the past twenty minutes. He immediately picked up on the sudden switch in Itachi’s tone and cast a wary glance around the room. 

He met eyes with Suigetsu, who gave him a tight smile but otherwise no other indication for Sasuke to tell if something was wrong. The others shifted in their seats; their eyes cast down at the table as if they were too scared to look at Itachi.

“The police have been broadcasting their discovery of Orochimaru’s lab, thanks to an anonymous tip.” Itachi stopped at the head of the table and finally made eye contact with Sasuke. “Which is all going according to plan. What comes next is their investigation of who owned the lab and what took part there. Although we’ve planted sufficient evidence, there’s always a possibility for error.”

Sasuke frowned. 

During his six months at Uchiha Enterprises, Sasuke had finally been able to grasp their situation and found himself fully involved in his brother’s plan. Although, Sasuke admitted at first that things gave him more unease than hope and he didn’t know how to approach the mechanics of the law like his brother did. In fact, Itachi had an expansive wealth of knowledge in things Sasuke would never have imagined. As a child, Itachi had immersed himself in books and research long before they were taken away to the facility, and not only had Orochimaru taught Itachi his black-market mindset, he had also given him the freedom to act as he pleased. 

Itachi had a deal over Orochimaru’s head.

A long and twisted agreement that would have put Itachi as the head of Uchiha Enterprises with Orochimaru controlling the company from the shadows, fully under the assumption that he would receive Sasuke’s body. If all had gone well, it would simply look like the two brothers rightfully stole back their family company now that they came of age.

Itachi had left the facility two years before Sasuke escaped. On the surface, Itachi had been making deals and blackmailing his relatives out of power through Orochimaru’s influence. In reality, Itachi had launched into his original scheme of getting rid of Orochimaru for good.

Each member that surrounded Sasuke at the table had a part to play in Itachi’s plan. Some were his inside agents, reporting to him on Orochimaru’s actions and general health. Others were involved with evacuation and execution. In Suigetsu’s case, his primary role had been to watch over Sasuke during his time in the facility up until his escape.

Orochimaru falling critically ill hadn’t been a coincidence after all. Months of slow poisoning and altering of his medication pushed him into that state, and Itachi knew he only had a small window after Orochimaru fell ill before he finally took over Sasuke’s body. It was a gamble that didn’t sound like it would pay off.

Sasuke wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t. If his brother hadn’t made it in time…

Sasuke clenched and unclenched his fists at the table. His body was still his own thanks to his brother. As broken as his memories were, he could still exist as his own person and he no longer had to sit in a tank waiting for the time to pass. 

For Itachi to pull together something as complex as this…it made him somewhat terrifying. In the most recent months, Sasuke realized that his brother scared him. More than his ambiguous past and more than the thought of Orochimaru chasing after his body.

He knew he could at least rest at ease knowing that his brother cared for him, but Sasuke wondered how much did that loyalty cost him? Sasuke had been the only family he had left, and it sounded like Itachi had been fully prepared to sacrifice everything to make sure his plan succeeded. How many people lost their lives for that to happen? How much chaos had Itachi caused for Sasuke to be sitting with him right now?

Sasuke didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to feel. He didn’t want to be sitting here if it meant countless people had suffered for it. But it wasn’t like he even had the right to choose that.

“Evidence will likely point the authorities to human experimentation. No amount of tampering could change that, but we adjusted a few things to point them towards Orochimaru’s previous partner Sasori.” One of the members stood from their chair and gave Itachi a firm nod. “As some of you may know, Sasori was a follower of Orochimaru, and he spent his time researching ways to perfectly preserve the human body. More than that, he constructed puppets out of their corpses for his own merit and even tried to bring them back from the dead.”

Sasuke felt goosebumps rise on his arms as he listened. How the hell could sick bastards like that get away with this?

“We’ve retrieved models that Orochimaru had received as gifts from Sasori and set things up accordingly, but the underlying connection between Sasori and Orochimaru still exists whether they cut ties or not.”

“Where is Sasori now?” Another member asked.

“Deceased.” Itachi sighed. “Has been for the past two years. As long as possible, we keep the authorities on Sasori’s trail. It’s possible that it will lead to a dead end, and if it doesn’t, by the time they catch on to Orochimaru it will be too late.”

“Reports say he doesn’t have much time left.” Suigetsu commented. “If it all comes down to ‘what if Orochimaru talks’—”

“That snake won’t talk.” The same member as before shook his head in disgust. “Everything he’s done for the past fifty odd years would be brought out into the light. Even on his death bed, he wouldn’t admit to anything.”

“Even so, wouldn’t it save us time if we just stormed in and took him out ourselves? We’d be able to get rid of him and destroy the evidence all at once.” Suigetsu shrugged. “It’s not like we were doing this for justice anyway. We’re just trying to save our own asses.”

“Orochimaru still has a good number of guards.” Itachi crossed his arms and frowned. “Do you suggest we take our chances causing a scene and risk our lives when he’s on the verge of death as we speak? He has no suitable hosts and we’ve cut off their supply. Waiting is our only option.”

Suigetsu groaned. “What a pain in the ass…”

Sasuke wanted to leave. This wasn’t something he wanted to be a part of, but he didn’t know how to disengage from the conversation. He hated the fact that he was just as tied to this as everyone else, despite having no direct contribution to it. Everything had been in motion while he had been sitting around in ignorance, running around trying to recover his memory without understanding what would happen once he finally did.

Living in that dark obscurity, not knowing a single damn thing about himself…Sasuke was beginning to long for those days again. That was the closest he had ever gotten to a new start, but he had thrown it all away for what? Now he had to be complacent in something that could ruin everything he thought he had.

With a loud bang, a young man threw open the door to the conference room and ran up to Itachi out of breath.

“Sir, I have something you have to hear…”

With that, the two men breezed out of the room, leaving the rest of the conference room in awkward silence.

“Why am I getting a bad feeling?” Suigetsu leaned back in his chair and sighed. He didn’t look particularly bothered by the situation at all, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Sasuke, you okay? You’re looking kind of pale. Paler than usual, at least.”

Sasuke scowled back at him across the table, refusing to offer a response. As Suigetsu began to open his mouth again, the door swung open and Itachi stormed back in.

“I need the acquisition team now.” Itachi pointed over his shoulder. “Reconvene with your captain, you have three hours.”

“Yessir!” On command, four members leapt out of their chairs and left the room without another word.

“Yo Boss.” Suigetsu turned in his chair and waved at Itachi. “You gonna share with the group?”

Itachi calmly met Suigetsu’s curious stare.

“Orochimaru’s dead.”

Sasuke felt a strange sickening twist in his stomach as he watched Suigetsu’s eyes light up. It was pure, unfiltered excitement. Over someone dying.

As much as Orochimaru terrorized him and ruined everything Sasuke knew, he couldn’t say that he felt particularly overjoyed about hearing that he was dead. Relieved? Maybe, but he wasn’t about to jump out of his chair and celebrate.

“Our team is cleaning things up as we speak. Most evidence we already have or have already destroyed, which means…”

“It’s finally done!” Suigetsu spun in his chair, kicking at the air in joy. “Good fuckin’ riddance. They were like a hundred something years old anyway.”

Sasuke took now as his opportunity to leave. He brushed past his brother without a word and retreated down the hallway, finding respite in the simple office environment that he’d grown accustomed to. He could hear the phones ringing from different offices, the sound of fingers tapping against computer keys, and the smell of coffee in the air, which put Sasuke at ease as he returned to his office. He dropped into his chair and buried his face in his hands, hoping that at least this all meant that he could finally move on and properly start over.

* * *

For the rest of the week, Itachi noticed his brother’s evasive behavior. He didn’t make eye contact, he barely offered Itachi a sentence outside of any work-related matters, and at home, he rarely saw Sasuke’s face anymore. Things had certainly gotten tense during the last handful of weeks leading up to Orochimaru’s death, and Itachi had expected the rift to occur sooner or later.

He didn’t try to approach Sasuke or force him into conversation as he knew his brother would only lash out in return and possibly even increase the distance between them. Sasuke was retreating into himself, but Itachi was starting to think that it wasn’t entirely his fault. Sasuke didn’t seem to sleep much anymore, and that particularly bothered him as he knew how exhausted Sasuke was. Since recovering his memories, he could sleep through most of the day if not disturbed, and Itachi often had to nudge the boy during meetings to keep him awake. Sasuke seemed to exist in a fog, barely conscious but somehow still fully proficient at his job. 

Sasuke’s success in the company had certainly taken him off guard, but he should have expected as much from his brother; it was only a matter of time before he climbed up to the board of directors. Maybe the stress of working so much was getting to him?

Itachi frowned as he watched his brother disappear back into his office. Once he went in, he rarely ever came back out unless he had a meeting or went to the bathroom. His associates have only shared a couple of words with him if they were lucky, and few have claimed to have ever seen him. 

“Oh, Sasuke…” Itachi sighed sadly. He didn’t know what to do anymore.

“I’ve never seen you look so glum on a Friday before.” Suigetsu fell back against the wall beside Itachi and offered a sympathetic pat. “You still worried about Sasuke?”

“He’s not doing well.”

“I heard he made a really good impression on the CEO at—”

“Suigetsu, that’s not what I’m talking about.” Itachi snapped. He immediately caught himself and softened his tone. “It’s like he’s just shutting down.”

“He’s always been pretty depressed.” Suigetsu nodded, and for once he sounded serious. “I’ve tried talking to him, but you know how that goes.”

“I don’t know what to do.” Itachi admitted. It pained him to think that his brother was suffering right in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it; there had to be something he could work out.

“Well…maybe he needs to get laid, if you catch my drift.” Suigetsu smirked.

Itachi’s neck whipped around to look at Suigetsu so quickly that he felt it crack.

“I am not giving my brother a prostitute!”

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Suigetsu deadpanned. “Find that blonde guy, Sasuke’s like obsessed with him. It’s almost painful watching him pine over somebody when he’s that fucking gorgeous.”

“Naruto?” Itachi widened his eyes as he felt a lightbulb go off in his head. “That could work…or it could be horrible mistake.”

“You love playing with the odds though.”

“This is at the cost of my brother’s mental health, Suigetsu.” Itachi frowned.

“And everything else wasn’t? Get a grip, he’s a grown man. If it fails, maybe he can at least move on with closure.” Suigetsu stepped away from the wall and offered a small wave. “If it goes well, he gets laid and can finally get away from you.”

Itachi rolled his eyes. He actually enjoyed his brother’s company, but perhaps Sasuke felt differently. It was time he made a change.

He returned to his office, immediately walking up to his direct assistant. As soon as she saw Itachi’s gaze lock on to her, she dropped everything she was doing to give her full attention.

“Hana…” Itachi sat on the edge of her desk and gave her an angelic smile. The smile on her face threatened to waver as Itachi watched the seven stages of grief flash before her eyes right in front of him. She probably thought she did something wrong, the poor child. Maybe she needed a raise. “I need your help with something.”

“What can I do for you Itachi?” she asked quietly, clearly fearing the answer.

“I need you to call Naruto and request him to come here as per Sasuke’s request.”

“You…want me to make an appointment for Sasuke to meet with this…Naruto?” she clarified carefully, as though she were mistaken. “Right now?”

“No, later in the evening since he’s probably at work.” Itachi cast his gaze out the window as he thought. “Don’t stop contacting him until you reach him.”

“I thought we had a strict policy of not holding meetings after three…” Hana froze when she caught sight of Itachi’s expression.

“He’s special.” Itachi said simply before leaving the room. As an older brother, Itachi could only do what he’d always done: he’d drop any opportunities in Sasuke’s lap and hope his foolish little brother would find the sense to pick them up. He only hoped that his decision would yield a positive result.

* * *

  
As soon as the clock hit five o’clock, Sasuke grabbed his bag and prepared to leave his office for the day. It felt like the day would never end, and he just wanted to hop in the shower and go to bed.

“Sasuke, sir?” a light knock at his door caught his attention.

“Yeah Hana?”

The door cracked open to reveal a small head of blonde hair and two round brown eyes staring up at him in what looked like fear. Honestly, fear seemed to be Hana’s constant state of being, so Sasuke wasn’t entirely sure if this had anything to do with him.

“I’m really sorry…it looks like your evening meeting won’t be taking place after all.” Hana sniffed. 

“Evening meeting? What are you talking about?” Sasuke blinked back at her, completely unaware.

“Your meeting with Naruto? Itachi told me to set up the appointment for you…” Hana trailed off as she watched Sasuke’s face shift from confused to horrified to infuriated in a matter of seconds. She seemed to put two and two together on her own without Sasuke’s response.

She gasped. “Itachi, that weasel!”

“You spoke with him? You talked to Naruto? What did you say?!” Sasuke moved towards the door and Hana immediately shrunk away. Her words started to come out rapidly.

“Just that you requested a meeting with him here tonight and he sounded really confused at first like he didn’t know who you were but then he got really mad and said that if you really wanted to see him you would come to speak with him in person and then he hung up the phone I’m really sorry!”

More than Sasuke felt the infuriating desire to wring his brother’s neck, he felt dread trickle through his blood at Hana’s words. Not only had Sasuke avoided contact for six months, but the one contact Naruto received had to be an arranged meeting?! It was such a dick move that he never imagined his brother would have thought to pull it. 

If Naruto didn’t hate Sasuke before, he certainly did now.

Sasuke couldn’t stand for that. 

Hana ducked out of Sasuke’s way as he dashed out of his office, completely forgetting the work bag on his desk. Sasuke wasted no time dodging people to get to the elevator and took it down to the parking garage to storm up to Itachi’s car.

He wanted to key the shit out of the nice black paint, but that would come later. Sasuke angrily clicked the unlock button and slid into the driver’s seat before taking off out of the garage.

He technically didn’t have his license yet, but that didn’t stop Sasuke from swiping Itachi’s spare key a long time ago. He doubted the guy even noticed it missing, but he sure as hell will miss his favorite car from its spot. It was a small satisfaction compared to the shit Itachi had put him through, and Sasuke wanted to properly get his payback for this.

He told Itachi not to get Naruto involved.

Now Sasuke didn’t know how to fix what his brother had fucked up. As easy as it would be to continue to leave Naruto alone and let him stew in whatever feelings he had towards Sasuke, it didn’t feel like an option anymore.

Sasuke couldn’t stand to be hated. Not by Naruto. Anyone, but him. 

All he had to do was apologize. Maybe he’d forgive him, but Sasuke doubted that. After all that had happened between them, what the hell would apologizing even do? Sasuke had spent months grieving over Naruto and what he had done to him. He still remembered the days they spent together in his little apartment, fighting over stupid shit and laughing about even dumber shit. It was nice. It had been Sasuke’s life for over four months.

Sasuke came to a screeching halt in the parking lot. He stared up at Naruto’s apartment building and hunched over the steering wheel as he thought. 

Maybe this was his chance to come clean. He could just spill everything, and then he wouldn’t have anything left to hide. Being honest might be the only way to make a sincere apology. 

“Hey sorry I disappeared for six months…?” Sasuke groaned as he confirmed how fucking stupid it sounded out loud. It was so much more complicated than that. “I’m sorry I still have feelings for you. I’m sorry I had feelings for you and never told you. I’m sorry…”

Sasuke trailed off as he thought to himself. The longer he sat there, the more he’d regret his decision to come back. Before he thought of a reason to leave, Sasuke stepped out of the car and strode up to the front door.

He realized he was sweating. His heart thundered in his chest as he raised a finger to Naruto’s doorbell, and for a brief second Sasuke wondered if he was going to throw up. He couldn’t believe he was doing this.

Maybe, if he was lucky, Naruto wouldn’t be home.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and confirmed his fate: Naruto’s sedan remained parked in its usual spot, sitting loud and proud in the evening sun.

“Fuck me.” Sasuke muttered under his breath and he pushed the doorbell. He still didn’t know what he was going to say. He didn’t know if things were going to work out. He didn’t know if he was going to walk back out of here feeling worse than he already did. He didn’t even know how he would react once he saw Naruto’s face.

After a few seconds of excruciating silence, Sasuke pushed the doorbell again. Then again. 

“I know you’re in there…” Sasuke hissed as he pounded on the button. If this was his only chance, he had to take it no matter how annoying he sounded. 

After about five minutes of nearly breaking Naruto’s doorbell, Sasuke faintly heard the sound of a door slamming. 

_Someone’s coming_.

Sasuke backed up and wiped his palms on his dress pants as he listened to footsteps thunder down the main stairs and stomp up to the front door.

Everything Sasuke had was riding on this moment. He resolved to do everything he could to make Naruto understand. He wouldn’t leave until he fixed what he’d broken. 

Sasuke took a long, deep breath to calm his nerves.

As he exhaled, the front door flung open and Sasuke braced himself.

This was his last chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y’all enjoyed this chapter! After reading the previous chapter, I felt that I still had so many unanswered questions about Sasuke’s past so I’m very glad that whatsinthebasement decided to write a chapter from Sasuke’s point of view. As always, we love seeing your comments and are so glad you decided to read this fanfic, thank you!!
> 
> ^^^  
> We did it!!  
> Thank you all for another wonderful journey! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! I remember when this fic was still in the works, and I made it so simple...those were the good days...ANYWAY if you have any other questions or need something else explained, please let me know! 
> 
> See y'all next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand we’re back! Sorry for the long hiatus from us posting anything, but my friend here was hit by some good old NaruSasu inspiration and it came out like this! This should be a shorter story, and I hope you all look forward to more!
> 
> ^^^
> 
> Hello all! How is 2020 treating you? Trick question! Good news: I'm finally putting out this fic that's been sitting here for months, and even better news: it is technically completed so it's not going to be another one of my (many) unfinished stories... In any case, hope you guys enjoy and I am always entertained with your comments, so please leave some in you want!


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